IF you look very carefully and don't blink you may catch sight of one of the rarest modern cars on the UK's roads.

Sold in Britain as part of Cadillac's UK sales drive the XLR sports coupe sold in very small numbers at a high pricearound 2005.

In left hand drive only, the XLR threw out of the window the perception of a Cadillac as an oversized gas guzzler and offered a heady combination of luxury, sky-high specification and fantastic performance.

The XLR was out to carve sales from the Mercedes-Benz SL and in its own way was a viable contender.

But in the UK it did not have the appeal it had in other markets and it now appears that there are only two on our roads.

Under the bonnet was the massively impressive Cadillac Northstar 4.6-litre V8 which fed power via asilky-smooth automatic transmission.

With 325bhp on tap this was a real livewire with a maximum speed restricted to 155mph and a 0-62mph sprint factor of 5.9 seconds.

Fuel consumption varied from 13.2mpg to 23mpg and emissions were not that bad for an American V8 at 291g/km.

In its heyday it would have set you back £57,545 but the real downside was that it lost a third of its value in the first year.

It featured folding metal roof that disappeared into the bodywork of the car. However, the folded hood gobbled up masses of bootspace which was another turn-off for prospective buyer.

But the XLR was a true showcase of Cadillac's engineering expertise. It showed Mercedes thatAmerica could bring in an SL competitor that was lighter and very nimble for a Cadillac.

Assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, it was the first production Cadillac with radar adaptive cruise control.

Standard equipment included heated and cooled leather seats, wood interior trim, remote keyless access, 18inch alloys and a navigation, audio, and DVD system sharing a seven-inch dashboard screen.

TheCadillac XLR-V, was a high performance version which followed and shaved the sprint figure down to 4.6 seconds.