Cadillac has announced that it will return to racing in 2011 with its CTS-V Coupe competing in the SCCA World Challenge series for production-based race car series. The GM division competed from 2004 to 2007 in the GT Class with the CTS-V Sport Sedan, bringing home the Manufacturer’s Championship in 2005 and 2007 and the Driver’s Championship in 2005.

Cadillac is working with Pratt & Miller, the New Hudson, MI, motorsports engineering firm, to develop the CTS-V Coupe race car. While some of the CTS-V components will be modified due to the demands of full bore racing, or to meet the series’ technical rules, every effort is being made to maintain as much production components as possible.

“The SCCA World Challenge lends itself well to a natural transfer of knowledge,” said Jim Campbell, GM vice president for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The series will become a key test-bed for Cadillac. We anticipate using what we learn on the racetrack to ensure the V-Series stays on the cutting-edge of performance.

Cadillac will field two teams in the upcoming SCCA World Challenge GT Class. Johnny O’Connell, a three-time GT1 champion in the America Le Mans Series, and Andy Pilgrim, who won the 2005 SCCA World Challenge GT class in a Cadillac, will be behind the wheel of the CTS-V entries.

Cadillac’s CTS-V line uses a supercharged 6.2L V-8 delivering 556 horsepower (415 kW) and 551 lb.-ft of torque (747 Nm). Introduced as a 2010 model, the CTS-V Sport Sedan is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.0 seconds, and lapped the famed Nurburgring in Germany in 7:59.32 minutes. Other high-performance features on the CTS-V family include standard Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes, and 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires.

The CTS-V Coupe, which went on sale this summer, pairs that performance with classic hardtop styling, a steeply raked windshield and a nearly horizontal back glass. The Coupe also features concept-car details, such as the rear spoiler integrated into the center high-mounted stop lamp and the twin tip center-outlet exhaust.

The first event in the SCCA World Challenge is March 25-27 in St. Petersburg, FL.