Okay, the car got everyone’s attention.
When we visited Bravo Cadillac in El Paso in early September, a Cadillac Formula 1 car was sitting inside the dealership, surrounded by excited fans trying to get a closer look. The machine was impressive, obviously. The more interesting part was how it made its way to El Paso in the first place.
The public showcase took place on Sept. 10, 2026, following a private preview for customers, employees, friends and family. The event gave Borderland racing fans an opportunity to see the F1 car up close, take photos and spend time with something most people would normally have to travel to a much larger market to experience. Post-event coverage reported that approximately 2,000 people registered for the public viewing, with the available time slots filling within 24 hours.
Bravo Cadillac was one of 20 dealerships selected
This was not a routine stop at every Cadillac dealership in the country.
The Bravo Cadillac team told us it was one of only 20 dealerships chosen to host the Formula 1 showcase. The opportunity followed the dealership’s Cadillac Master Dealer Award, which team members said recognized its performance during 2025 across sales, service, parts and customer care.
“We’re one out of the 20 dealerships to be chosen,” a Bravo Cadillac team member told us. “So it was a great accomplishment.”
Bravo Cadillac’s official award announcement says it was one of just 42 dealerships nationwide to receive the Cadillac Master Dealer Award for 2026. From that already limited group, Bravo was selected for an even smaller Formula 1 showcase tour.
That was the detail that stayed with us. A national automotive brand had a limited number of places it planned to take this experience, and El Paso earned one of those spots.
“Having the F1 car for us, at a community level, it just means so much because it means that we can bring to El Paso something that hasn’t happened before,” the team said. “And that’s only a reflection of the hard work and dedication that our entire team did.”Months of planning for one day in El Paso
The showcase required approximately two months of planning. Organizers transformed the dealership with music, sound, exotic-car displays, vendors and scheduled viewing periods designed to keep the experience organized.
The team also wanted visitors to have enough time to look at the car, take their photos and enjoy the moment without being rushed through the space.
“It’s been a lot of planning. It’s been a lot of hard work,” a Bravo Cadillac representative said. “But for us, seeing the smiles on people’s faces, that’s where we know it pays off.”
By the time we spoke with the team during the public showcase, representatives said more than 1,200 people had already come through. The size of the crowd made one thing very clear: El Paso’s interest in Formula 1 is very real.
There was also a natural Borderland connection. Bravo Cadillac’s Formula 1 page highlights Mexican driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez as part of Cadillac’s team, giving many local racing fans another reason to follow the brand’s F1 story closely.
The Formula 1 car has since moved on from El Paso, but the reason it came here still matters.
Bravo Cadillac was selected because of the dealership’s work before the showcase, including the performance that earned its Master Dealer recognition. Then, when the opportunity arrived, El Paso showed up for it.
The car was the polished part. The selection behind it was the real story.
Bravo Cadillac F1 Showcase (Courtesy: KFOX14)