Introduced at the beginning of the 2000s as the brand’s answer to the German executive sedans, the Cadillac CTS was shortly followed by a high-performance version. Baptized the CTS-V, it challenged the likes of the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG and proved so popular that the GM-owned brand completely refreshed it a few years later.
The second-generation model packed the era’s Chevy Corvette ZR1 engine, namely a supercharged 6.2-liter V8. The monstrous (for a sedan) mill was capable of pushing out 550 brake horsepower and 550 pound-feet (745 Nm) of torque.
More affordable than an M3 and with the bigger M5 in its sights, the second-gen Cadillac CTS-V was very fast off the line. The naught to 60 mph (0-97 kph) sprint took a little under 4 seconds, and on a long stretch, the speedometer eventually read 175 mph (282 kph). In terms of quarter-mile performance, it boasted 12 seconds, with an exit speed of 118 mph (190 kph).
Now, the example depicted on video down below, born some 12 years ago, has long overcome its OEM status, That’s because it has been tuned to run down the quarter mile as fast as possible, and besides the multitude of revised and new oily bits, that we obviously don’t know anything about, it rocks drag radials, and a mandatory parachute for quicker stops.
These mods have shaved around 4 seconds from the stock car’s quarter-mile performance, as it is now capable of completing the sprint in just a little over 8 seconds. The CTS-V turned dragster was filmed at the World Cup Finals taking on a couple of very powerful Honda Civics, showing them who’s boss even after it pulled a rather big wheelie in the third and final race depicted on film, and posting 8.46 seconds at the end of the run.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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