Let The Cadillac Sollei Concept's Drink Compartment Brighten Your Day

I’ll admit it; after over 13 years in the biz, I might be a teeny bit jaded when it comes to cars. So when a neat feature grabs my attention and makes me grin from ear to ear, I’m almost a little grateful for it. The drink compartment on the Cadillac Sollei Concept produced such a feeling. I mean, look at it.

What Car Should You Buy: Fast, Impractical and Fun

This Sollei Concept a design concept, so there are no numbers to really dig into. The long and short of the concept is it’s very pretty and very fun, and even giant ugly 23-inch wheels can’t take away from that. After years of increasingly aggressive designs, apocalypse ready SUVs and murdered out special editions, the Sollei is a bright breath of fresh air.

Back to the bad ass drinks compartment. Yes, lots of luxury cars come with various glasses cleverly concealed in the back seat for the enjoyment of the passengers. Bentley and Rolls-Royce are particularly good at this, even stashing whole coolers and minibars in the back seat.

The compartment illuminates and the door lifts with a press of a keyfob button. Inside isn’t a well-secured, perfectly Red Bull-can-and-wine-bottle-shaped holes, but a dazzling ice bucket and cut glass featuring the Cadillac Goddess (a symbol for the company dating back to the 1930s through the ’50s recently resurrected for the Celestiq.) There’s a little tray between the two back seats that perfectly fits the glass.

Are those more usable than an ice bucket and crystal rocks glass? Yeah, probably. Are they as fun? Nope. I think this little compartment is a perfect reflection of the whole design ethos of luxury but make it fun.

Yes, I know this thing would be a danger on the road and probably wouldn’t pass muster for GM’s legal department, but we’re having fun with it. It reminds me a bit of the infamous magnetic mini bar that came standard in the glove box of the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham (another vehicle to feature the Cadillac Goddess, in fact.)

A compartment like this strikes me as the height of retro elegance mixed with modern luxury—exactly what Caddy was going for with this buttercream-colored concept. It’s a little silly and retro to have a ice bucket in the back of your car, but it’s a car that is allowed to have silly little ideas like this realized. It fits right in with the box of bird calls in the back (yes, really) and the mycelium grown faux-leather lining the door pockets.

This is such a fun, attractive car with so many interesting design choices I worry it will likely never see the light of day on a dealer lot. This concept was six different ways of charming to see in person. You can read more about it here.