The Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing Will Be Faster Than Any Previous Cadillac

When Cadillac launched the new CT4-V and CT5-V, a lot of you went, “Wait, what?” The two sports sedans were considerably less powerful than the “V” cars they replaced and many were left wondering if Cadillac had hit its head or whether we’d ever get anything more powerful again, especially given their apparent top-tier naming. Cadillac wants to correct the record with a teaser of the fastest cars it’s ever produced, introducing the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing.

Taking the name from Cadillac’s unceremoniously orphaned twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 in the CT6-V, the Blackwing models will be, as mentioned, the fastest cars Cadillac has ever produced. As to how that will shake out is still unclear as while Cadillac stated in its press release that the two cars are quicker around Virginia International Raceway than their predecessors, the company hasn’t disclosed any information about the two sports sedan’s powerplants. 

What we do know is that each Blackwing model will “Feature specially tuned chassis, vehicle control technologies and engines.” Additionally, as The Drive reported on last month, “Each model will also be offered with a manual transmission—a feature most luxury brands no longer offer but continues to be a strong desire for many performance driving enthusiasts.”

An accompanying video went along with the release, which while not showing either car, feature a soundtrack that makes us believe that the forthcoming CT5-V Blackwing will be powered by a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8, similar to the engine that’s found in the C8 Corvette. Not, as some rumors suggested, the Blackwing V8 from the CT6-V.

Cadillac Executive Chief Engineer Brandon Vivian, who recently spoke about his wish to find a home for the aforementioned twin-turbo V8, said “The Blackwing name has come to represent the very best of Cadillac performance engineering, craftsmanship and technology,” said Brandon Vivian, executive chief engineer, Cadillac. “The new CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing build on the brand’s respected legacy of ultimate-performance driving experiences and elevate them even further.”

While we’re not sure Vivian’s statement that the Blackwing name “has come to represent the very best of Cadillac” is true, especially given that the only other car to share any sort of Blackwing reference is the already canceled and hardly popular CT6-V, we’re very much excited about the prospect of a hotter set of Vs. As to when we’ll see these V Blackwings, that’s still very much in the air because, you guessed it, our current waking nightmare world. Maybe the thought of V8 hoonery will get us through this? Let’s all hope.

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