I navigated the snow-packed roads with the transmission in manual mode. then my luck ran out

It was a crazy idea – a skiing trip without the skis, driving from San Francisco to Mammoth, California, in Cadillac’s CTS AWD and taking in as much car culture along the way as possible. The choice of a sedan over a go-anywhere SUV seemed sensible for the first 120 miles. Then the snow hit. As I climbed the Donnar Pass, flashing warning signs urged me to tune the radio to 1610AM for weather advisories.

A crackly message came through the ten-speaker in-car entertainment system warning of snowploughs.

As I approached Reno, The Biggest Little City in the World, neon signs coloured the night as gamblers headed for the numerous casinos, lured by Buffalo Rib-Eye dinners at $14.99 a plate. I checked into the Grand Sierra hotel and felt instantly out of place without a Stetson.

Circumstances turned in my favour with the National Automobile Museum on South Lake Street. The 220 classic cars and automobilia housed inside comprise the rump of the original Bill Harrah collection: back in 1975 I visited the gambling tycoon’s original museum which, at the time, boasted 1000 vehicles. I particularly remember there being no fewer than 63 Franklins assembled in neat and tidy rows.

Today’s displays are set out in quarter-century themed street scenes. Fortuitously, 2008 is the centenary of the Thomas Flyer’s victory in the Around The World Race. At short notice George Schuster entered the race with an almost stock Thomas Flyer 60hp, his mission to beat the mighty automakers of Germany, France and Italy. The race spanned 22,000 hard-fought miles to Schuster’s eventual victory in Paris; the winning car has pride of place in the museum, along with the trophy.

Back in the Cadillac now and the weather conditions had worsened. Thankfully Detroit’s latest sports sedan chassis and suspension were schooled on the Nurburgring, which made for confident handling despite the conditions. Better still, the all-new four-wheel-drive system automatically transfers torque from the rear to the front, which can amount to 100% given the right – or, perhaps, wrong – set of circumstances. Worryingly, though, my crystal red CTS4’s 18-inch alloy rims were not shod with snow tyres, which meant an unscheduled stop-off at Pepboys in Reno for a set of chains; they are mandatory on sections of the road ahead. Next stop Virginia City.

In the 1860s the town serviced the needs of miners and cowboys, which goes someway to explaining why today it is a Wild West theme park. However, this is not the whole story. Virginia City is also home to the Ferrari Club of America’s hillclimb and it seemed a waste not to stretch the Caddy’s legs on the 5.2-mile truck route from the intersection of Highway 341/2 to the town. This sinuous, smoothly paved road has 22 turns marked at 20-35mph. I arrived early and the route was traffic free – just the right moment to test the chassis, with its ZF steering, aluminium front control arm and multi-link rear suspension. The six-speed auto performed well in manual override, but the large steering wheel and lack of lateral support from the seat made corners feel more precarious than they actually were. Thankfully, the torquey 304bhp direct injection V6 did not disappoint.

Turning on to Highway 395 now, and back into California. This is a wonderful road that clings to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, yet my fingers remained crossed at the thought of more bad weather and the prospect of actually having to use those snow chains. Traffic was non-existent so I navigated the snow-packed roads with a light touch, the transmission in manual shift mode for the descent towards Mono Lake. And then my luck ran out…

Approaching Mammoth Lakes on Highway 203, warning signs directed me to pull over and fit the chains. The conveniently situated lay-by was crowded with young ski junkies dressed in orange vests. These visions in tangerine were registered by the township to assist visitors, all for a suitable tip of $40. I declined their offer of help for all of five minutes, after which Seneca Willis and two of his buddies took over, stretching the spring-like puzzles over the massive Michelin P235/50R18 front tyres. Good traction had been restored at the expense of hideous steering vibration and noise.

The Mammoth mountain ski lodge came as a most welcome sight.Opened in 1953, the lodge seemed to have been sculptured from rough-hewn stone and dark timber. No matter, a most welcome dinner awaited me at the McCoy Station, so I happily boarded a Snow Cat for the ascent of Stump Ally Ski, at the end of which chef Nickos Rovello served four delicious courses.

The following morning, after I’d stressed my fast-approaching departure time, guide Bob Matthiessen offered to take me snowmobiling down the gold trail. Following a quick orientation on both the trail and the 550cc Polaris machine, Bob led me barrelling down the switchback route between the tall pines. Snowmobiling is a minority pursuit in Europe but in the US it’s a 27 billion-dollar business, and every year 5000 winter sports fans travel the 100 miles of wilderness trails with Mammoth Snowmobile Adventures. The frantic engine noise resonated in my helmet but my face wore an enormous grin. It was all too much fun, although I had to curb my desire to lever the right thumb as the immovable trees and recent deep snow called for concentration, even at 30mph. The snowmobile accelerated way beyond my skill: it may be like riding a two-stroke enduro motorcycle on the straights, but cornering requires a combination of feathering the throttle and body positioning. My speed increased proportionally to my confidence. Better still, any environmental snowmobiling damage melts away with the coming of spring, although that might be challenged by the cross-country skiers who shield their ears from the noise and breathe in the exhaust fumes. But hey, it’s a vast forest and there is room for us all.

My fun over, I headed North on 395, gathering my thoughts on the CTS. Certainly it drives like no other Cadillac I have experienced and once free of chains it cries out to be part of any wish-list in a sector dominated by expensive products from the Fatherland. My ride was fully loaded with every luxury known to the automotive marketing world and had a US sticker price of $48,735.00 (£24,609.96).

While snowdrifts and mountains are rather thinner on the ground back in Britain, the Cadillac CTS AWD still makes sense if you’re looking for something that bit different. Expect the UK launch of the CTS in autumn, with prices starting at £26,000 and heading up to around £40,000.