Photo: Instagram user @c_zr1
Remember the Cadillac CTS-V? The third and final incarnation of the mid-size sports luxury sedan is equipped with the small-block V8 from the seventh-generation Corvette Z06, a supercharged mill that pulls like there’s no tomorrow.
Codenamed LT4, the 6.2-liter engine will return next year in the CT5-V Blackwing that replaces the CTS-V. Camouflaged from head to toe, the prototype in the following video definitely sounds like it has eight cylinders and forced induction.
Spied by Instagram user @c_zr1 with a manufacturer plate and a decklid spoiler, the prototype can be seen accelerating from a stop and rowing through some gears. If you listen closely, you will also notice that the short pauses between the shifts are the trademark of a good ol’ six-speed manual transmission.
The Blackwing is also going to be available with a 10-speed automatic, namely the Hydra-Matic 10Lxx. Developed by the Ford Motor Company and spruced up with General Motors software, this gearbox is shared with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Speaking of which, the most powerful road-going Camaro on sale today is packing the same engine as the Blackwing. In this application, GM offers 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of torque. The go-faster Caddy will probably mirror these figures, representing an upgrade of 10 horsepower and 20 pound-feet over the CTS-V that ended production at the end of the 2019 model year.
Expected to break the 200-mph barrier, the CT5-V Blackwing will be available with performance-oriented options like magnesium wheels and carbon-fiber bucket seats. There is, however, a bit of a problem with this fellow here.
More to the point, the crown jewel of General Motors is preparing to go fully electric as soon as 2025. That’s more than four years away, which means two things for CT5-V Blackwing owners. In the best-case scenario, prices will go up because an all-electric vehicle doesn’t have the – dare I say it – soul of a car with a blown V8. As for the worst-case scenario, which is also the most likely of the two, you’ll probably lose a lot of greenback by then.
It’s common knowledge that luxury sedans tend to plummet in value at a much faster rate than a utility vehicle. For example, the CTS-V can be picked up with relatively low miles for $65,000 even though the brand-new price was $86,995. In other words, the heir-apparent doesn’t have the makings of a future classic.
Spied by Instagram user @c_zr1 with a manufacturer plate and a decklid spoiler, the prototype can be seen accelerating from a stop and rowing through some gears. If you listen closely, you will also notice that the short pauses between the shifts are the trademark of a good ol’ six-speed manual transmission.
The Blackwing is also going to be available with a 10-speed automatic, namely the Hydra-Matic 10Lxx. Developed by the Ford Motor Company and spruced up with General Motors software, this gearbox is shared with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Speaking of which, the most powerful road-going Camaro on sale today is packing the same engine as the Blackwing. In this application, GM offers 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet (881 Nm) of torque. The go-faster Caddy will probably mirror these figures, representing an upgrade of 10 horsepower and 20 pound-feet over the CTS-V that ended production at the end of the 2019 model year.
Expected to break the 200-mph barrier, the CT5-V Blackwing will be available with performance-oriented options like magnesium wheels and carbon-fiber bucket seats. There is, however, a bit of a problem with this fellow here.
More to the point, the crown jewel of General Motors is preparing to go fully electric as soon as 2025. That’s more than four years away, which means two things for CT5-V Blackwing owners. In the best-case scenario, prices will go up because an all-electric vehicle doesn’t have the – dare I say it – soul of a car with a blown V8. As for the worst-case scenario, which is also the most likely of the two, you’ll probably lose a lot of greenback by then.
It’s common knowledge that luxury sedans tend to plummet in value at a much faster rate than a utility vehicle. For example, the CTS-V can be picked up with relatively low miles for $65,000 even though the brand-new price was $86,995. In other words, the heir-apparent doesn’t have the makings of a future classic.
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