Tag Archives: Cadillac CT5-Blackwing

More Performance for CT5-V Blackwing

Posted on by

Perhaps not useful for your daily drive, but. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Cadillac, in 2003, decided to really strut its stuff on the world stage.

It looked at competitors—BMW with its M line, Mercedes with AMG—and decided it needed a performance line.

So it created “V.”

“Take that!” it said, while offering additional engineering in models to make them perform at higher levels.

Then it upped things when it introduced the CT6-V Blackwing in 2018, a vehicle deploying the twin-turbocharged V8 engine that was designated “Blackwing.” Those vehicles also came with various aero and suspension mods.

And now. . .

Earlier this year Cadillac introduced the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing.

Yes, it has a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that pumps out 668 hp and 659 lb-ft torque.

Oh, and it’s a midsize four-door sedan.

Yes, you can drive it to Kroger.

One of the things that has happened in the U.S. in the era of V has been an increase in the number of private race tracks.

Rather than golf country clubs with lockers, these are special racetracks with garages.

Which probably goes a long way to explaining the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package.

You could take it for a Sunday drive in the park—especially if it’s a private motorsports park: CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package. (Image: Cadillac)

Brandon Vivian, executive chief engineer, Cadillac:

“This new Precision Package will enable the CT5-V Blackwing to be incredibly light on its feet at all speeds — both on road and track.”

Odds are, this is not oriented for those who are going to get groceries.

This package is largely predicated on changes to the chassis including: increased spring rates. . .larger front stabilizer bar. . .new front steering knuckles and rear suspension toe links. . .recalibrated MagneRide dampers. . .carbon ceramic brakes. . . .

Yes, elements that make a difference when showing your stuff at the track on a Saturday afternoon.

But you’ll have to wait.

Production for the CT5-V Blackwing Precision Package will begin in early 2025.

The Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing & CT5-V Blackwing: Yes, “Cadillac”

Posted on by
1

If when you think “Cadillac” you think of something big and lush and lumbering like the Escalade (no offense to the SUV, but it is 211 inches long and weighs up to 6,015 pounds, a.k.a., three tons), then the 2022 V-Series Blackwing vehicles are going to absolutely upend that notion: The CT5-V Blackwing is powered by a hand-built (think about that for a moment) 668-hp. 6.2-liter supercharged V8 mated to a six-speed manual TREMEC transmission; the sedan has a top speed of over 200 mph.

Then there’s the CT4-V Blackwing, which is smaller, a subcompact, and is certainly no slouch, as it is fitted with a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 such that it has an estimated top speed of 189 mph. Equipped with the optional 10-speed automatic (which is also available for the other car), it has an estimated 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

2022 CT4-V Blackwing (left) and CT5-V Blackwing (right): engineered to perform. (Image: Cadillac)

Of course, when you go fast you also need to, well, stop, so there are serious Brembos deployed, with the CT5-V Blackwing featuring the largest factory-installed brakes in Cadillac history: 15.67 x 1.42-inch front rotors and 14.7 x 1.1-inch rear rotors. (There is also a lightweight carbon-ceramic brake package available, which is helpful in track situations, in particular, as it reduces unsprung mass by 53 pounds and rotating mass by 62 pounds.)

At this point you might be wondering why these vehicles are being named with their full names. That’s because you can go to a Cadillac dealership and buy a CT4 or a CT5. Or you can buy a CT4-V or a CT5-V.

The Blackwing execution is a whole different thing.

And so to that end, on this edition of “Autoline After Hours” Tony Roma, chief engineer of Cadillac V-Series Blackwing, provides a deep dive into the features that they’ve brought to the vehicles in order to make them track-capable vehicles straight out of the dealer’s showroom.

Roma talks with “Autoline’s” John McElroy, Chris Paukert of Roadshow by CNET and me.

Roma says that their objective was to make a vehicle that is “light, nimble and precise.”

Which is arguably what some people might not think about when it comes to Cadillacs.

Then McElroy, Paukert and I discuss a variety of other subjects, including Cadillac’s electric future (Roma is also the chief engineer for the forthcoming, ultra-luxury Celestiq electric vehicle), the agreement between Google and Ford and the whole issue of data monetization, January sales and a whole lot more.

And you can see it all here.–gsv