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Bob Lutz came in seventh, but he won.

Motor Authority explains, “Last month, during a discussion with journalists about General Motors’ new ‘May the Best Car Win’ marketing campaign,” General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz “laid down the challenge to any journalist to a duel with the Cadillac CTS-V to see if any comparable car could topple the Caddy.” The challenge was later extended to the general public, and yesterday, seven drivers (three of them journalists) selected from a pool of more than 100 applicants showed up in their sport sedans to challenge Lutz at New York’s Monticello Motor Club.

The 77-year old Lutz wasn’t the only GM driver at the event, and several of the challengers (including New York Times auto reviewer Lawrence Ulrich) showed up in their own CTS-Vs. In fact, six of the seven fastest laps were completed in the Cadillac. A BMW M3 snuck into the list, in fourth place. The overall winner for the day was GM Performance Division chief, John Heinricy, posting the fastest lap in the CTS-V — which he helped to design.

Lutz placed seventh, but probably got what he wanted. After all, in his latest position at the company, Lutz directs GM’s marketing efforts. The event, Forbes notes, amounted to “inexpensive and relevant marketing” for the 556-horspower CTS-V…and an image boost for General Motors.

The challenger with the loudest pre-race boasts, however, got badly beaten. The New York Times reports that the automotive blog Jalopnik “was, by far, the most vocal competitor. Initially, the Web site proposed using a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG in the V-Series Challenge. It then made an arrangement with Jaguar to use an XFR.” Jaguar, however, pulled that car out of the race. Instead, Jalopnik’s writer showed up in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, hoping its all-wheel-drive and light weight would negate the Cadillac’s massive power advantage over the Lancer’s four-cylinder engine.

It didn’t work. Jalopnik’s best time, the blog notes, was just 3:08 – good for ninth place out of twelve drivers, last place among automotive journalists and well behind six of seven Cadillacs racing that day.

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