Some might say that Cadillac is but a pale shadow of what it used to be when it ruled undefeated over the American luxury car market. Frankly, they might all be wrong if you pardon my French.
Here is the deal, times are always changing, and what felt like rock-solid ground one day may become a marshland the very next, sort of speak. Today, Cadillac is undergoing a process of realignment to the new queries of the automotive industry, and that means it needs to take some pretty harsh decisions. For example, passenger cars are still an integral part of its core asset vault but on a much smaller scale than before.
As such, the only current survivors are the CT4 and CT5 compact or mid-size luxury sedans (well, at least you can have them as ultra-feisty Blackwings), which were recently joined by the all-electric, ultra-expensive Celestiq. That is a bit sad for people who loved the many Caddy sedans of lore, but also a way to keep the torch lit for a little while longer. Alternatively, certain good folks are also keeping the lights on at the local racetrack with their predecessors, such as the CTS-V sedan.
Anyone who is even remotely interested in the crazy dealings of the quarter-mile world probably knows the mid-size luxury sedan and grand tourer coupe series, produced over three generations from 2003 to 2019, has become a veritable legacy racer in the capable hands of certain individuals and/or aftermarket tuning teams. And there is no need to take our word for granted, as we have yet another proper example stemming from the latest feature by the videographer behind the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel on YouTube, who has caught a feisty Caddy sedan at BMP during February’s Street Car Takeover event.
This CTS-V clearly shows it means business from the get-go by way of exposed engine components, and the description also says it’s turbocharged. Well, that is not a lot to go with, but further along the way, we also found out the dealings happened at Bradenton Motorsports Park (Bradenton, Florida) in the Heavyweights (4,200+ lbs./1,905 kg) class, so no wonder even the first race against a green Mopar put everything into a massive 7.68s (at 182 mph/293 kph) versus 8.31s (at 166 mph/267 kph) perspective!
Interestingly, if we notice the proceedings of the CTS-V correctly, the Caddy’s driver stomps on the brakes even before the pass was finished, and then also needs help from the chute to calm down! Anyway, next up, from the 0:55 mark, a second Dodge Challenger (this time dressed in purple) came out to defend the Mopar honor. Alas, it was all in vain, as the nasty Caddy was not having any of it, given the 7.71s (at 160 mph/257 kph) victory against the opponent’s ‘way slower’ 9.15s (at 144 mph/232 kph) pass. Lastly, in the finals, a Caddy CTS-V Coupe came along for a ‘stroll’…
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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