Hold on: GM built a Cadillac that can go 200 mph

Posted by Talbot Payne on August 26, 2020

The subcompact Cadillac CT4 and compact CT5 may have gone down market compared to the, respectively, compact ATS and mid-size CTS they replace. But their performance variants promise to be just as potent.

Cadillac announced the top-shelf CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing models last spring, and teased further details of the track-focused monsters this week.

The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and CT4-V Blackwing will feature a performance steering wheel meticulously crafted with leather and cut-and-sewn stitching, a 12 o’clock red racing stripe, carbon fiber trim and a V-Series emblem. Pre-production steering wheel shown. Actual production steering wheel may vary.

Both cars will get the same carbon fiber-trimmed, sport steering wheel and V-mode performance capability. But the big headliner is the CT5-V Blackwing will get the same, 200 mph, manual-transmission capability as the outgoing CTS-V, one of the most ferocious sedans ever to hit the market.

The 200-mph figure — barely visible in a teaser photo’s instrument display — signals that the CT5-V Blackwing will come with the same, supercharged, 640-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 at the heart of the retired CTS-V. That 200 mph engine was also found in the last-generation, front-engine Corvette C7.

That’s good news for General Motors Co. performance fans who miss the stick shift option in the new, mid-engine Corvette C8. For the first time, Corvette has eschewed the manual in favor of a quick-shifting, dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Spy videos reported by Car and Driver have shown the Blackwings testing with similar, powerful V-8 and twin-turbo V-6 engines from the outgoing CTS-V and ATS-V. The CT4-V Blackwing version will likely get the same 464 horse, 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 as the ATS-V it replaces.

GM VP for Global Product Ken Morris drove the blue CT4 performance variant around Belle Isle in 2019. In production trim, the car will be called the CT4-V Blackwing.

At a surprise, on-track appearance at the 2019 Detroit Grand Prix — with GM President Mark Reuss and Global Product Vice President Ken Morris at the wheel — media onlookers noted the familiar V-8 and V-6 exhaust notes from the two fully-camouflaged cars.

Don’t be fooled by the Backwing badge.

Neither Blackwing model is expected to carry the fabled, 550-horse, twin-turbo, 4.2-liter Blackwing V-8 engine in its belly. The mill, the most advanced gas engine built by Cadillac, had a short life span in the now-defunct Cadillac CT6-V. Cadillac has since signaled that its future is electric and has devoted more resources to battery-powered drive-trains.

The Blackwing name lives on as representative of Cadillac’s pinnacle of performance.

In addition to the 200 mph Easter egg, the teaser pic reveals that the Caddies will gain state-of-the-art electronics shared with the Corvette C8. A Performance Traction Management system is located on the right of the steering wheel — and a V-mode button (which can instantly transform the car from cruiser to street hot rod) is visible on the lower left.

The CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings will be slotted above the middle-trim, V-series models. The Blackwings are aimed at Europe’s iconic BMW M, Mercedes AMG, and Audi RS Dobermans.

The mid-trim V-series models have debuted this year to warm reviews for their state-of-the-art aerodynamics and chassis tuning. The Blackwings promise to add to the formula with meatier engines will likely drive their sticker prices $30,000 north of the standard sedan models.

The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will likely carry a 650-horse, 6.2-liter V-8 in its belly - a carryover from the Caddy CTS-V.

The standard, rear-wheel-drive CT4 starts at $33,990— well below the similarly-sized $36,490, compact ATS that it replaces — as it has moved down a segment to compete against the likes of the subcompact BMW 2-series and Audi A3. The mid-level $45,490 CT4-V makes 325 horsepower.

The CT5, currently available for sale, follows a similar path as its CT4 sibling with a starting price at $37,890 — well below the $47,990 of the CTS it replaces. The Blackwing will be priced above the $48,690 CT5-V which debuted last spring.

The mid-size CTS-V that the CT5-V Blackwing replaces started at $88,990 and could top out at over $100k as it competed against the mid-size BMW M5. Expect that price to drop as the Blackwing lines up against the compact-sized, $70,000 BMW M3.

The Blackwing athletes are due to hit dealer showrooms next summer.

Comments are closed.