Although Cadillac has already abandoned the CTS series in favor of something new (the CT5), that doesn’t mean fans have done the same, especially when they pursue racing interests in the high-performance CTS-V models. And with the aftermarket sector more than willing to keep these relevant, we could be seeing them for a long time at the strip.
The premium U.S. automaker has always pushed the envelope with each subsequent iteration of the CTS-V in their pursuit to equal rivals such as the BMW M5 or Mercedes-AMG E 63 both in terms of refinement and power, but of course there’s always room for improvement.
One could always shell out the buck to get the bang of something like the Hennessey HPE1000 CTS-V, but some people just prefer to carefully tinker with their ride in stages and try out different combinations before settling on the perfect outcome.
That’s especially valid for those looking to get the quarter mile kicks at the drag strip, where just one setup may never be the final answer in the face of so many different competitors. And these recent videos featuring a freshly tuned second-generation Cadillac CTS-V at the recent Street Car Takeover event that took place at the Bristol Motor Dragway in Tennessee are proof of that.
According to the description provided by the Drag Racing and Car Stuff YT channel, the Caddy just entered a new development stage in its drag racing life with heads and cam combination. Thus, the SCT event proved the perfect melting pot to test its mettle and the CTS-V proudly went against a decidedly eclectic series of opponents.
In the first video embedded below the CTS-V fought an old-school Chevrolet Chevelle and immediately landed its best ET as far as we can tell, taking the victory with a 9.86s to 11.06s run. Next up, from the 0:33 mark we see the odds drew a friend that arrived at the event with a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat hiding a Bolt On makeover under the SRT-branded white body.
This battle was lost, even though we see the Cadillac performing well again – but ultimately the 9.95-second elapsed time wasn’t enough to best the 9.53-second result of the wondrous ride in the left lane. As it turns out, it’s pretty obvious why the Hellcat darted like Robin Hood’s arrow, since it’s allegedly sporting more than 1,000 wheel horsepower.
By the way, don’t neglect the second video either, because it contains a bonus roll race with a feisty C7 Chevy Corvette, as well as great POV footage from the cockpit of the CTS-V.
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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