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Don’t panic. General Motors has yet to kill off the internal combustion engine or the manual transmission. Despite GM’s recently announced plans to go all-electric with its passenger-car vehicle fleet by 2035, the company is still quite a ways from — pardon the pun — pulling the plug on traditional horsepower.
In fact, on the evening of February 1, GM’s Cadillac division unveiled the V-Series Blackwings, which may not be a zero-emission vehicle but which it promises to be the “ultimate track capability, zero compromise” performance vehicles.
“The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and CT4-V Blackwing represent the pinnacle of Cadillac performance and craftsmanship, leveraging championship-winning racing heritage to create the most track-capable Cadillacs ever, while continuing to set new standards for luxury and comfort,” Cadillac said in its announcement.
“Leveraging a Cadillac racing history that began in 1949 and has seen sustained success over the last two decades, the V-Series Blackwing models were developed with driver engagement and performance at the top of mind.”
Speaking of the immediate post-war period, before unveiling the Blackwings, Cadillac released a teaser video featuring Briggs Cunningham’s team racing at Le Mans with Cadillac power.
“V-Series Blackwing stands for the very highest level of execution from Cadillac and offers a distinctly American vision of performance: incredible power and luxurious craftsmanship, with absolutely zero compromise between the two,” Cadillac’s executive chief engineer is quoted in the news release. Brandon Vivian, executive chief engineer, Cadillac.
There will be two Blackwing vehicles, available for reservations immediately and for delivery this summer — the CG5-V, base price $84,990, and the CT4-V, at $59,990.
The CT5-V has an Eaton supercharged 6.2-liter V8 good for 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque and the CT4-V is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 rated at 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet. Each is available with either a 6-speed Tremec manual gearbox of an optional 10-speed automatic.
The 6.2-liter is hand-built and signed by its builder at the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Other features include electronic limited-slip rear differential; available magnetic ride control, which Cadillac calls the “world’s fastest reacting suspension technology;” track-tuned steering response; the largest factory-installed brakes in Cadillac history (15.67 inches on the CT5-V front wheels); and a customizable digital gauge cluster with launch control and performance track management settings.
Cadillac says to expect the CT5-V to exceed 200 mph on the track, and the CT4-V to hit 189 mph.
As for the manual gearbox, it’s a Tremec unit with LuK twin-disc clutch, active rev matching, no-lift (off the gas pedal) shift, a short-throw shifter and a physical barrier stop for the clutch pedal rather than a hydraulic master cylinder stop to provide greater driver feedback during clutch operation.
For additional information, visit the Cadillac website.
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