CT5-V Blackwing Confounds YouTuber ThatDudeInBlue: ‘It’s So Dumb Fast’
A supercharged, 668-hp LT4 and Tremec TR6060 manual transmission make the CT5-V Blackwing peak Cadillac.
The days of the V8-powered sport sedan may be numbered, but America is not going down without a fight. The latest weapon on the war against the EV is the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. Think of this as the nuclear option. The supercharged LT4 under the hood cranks out 668 horsepower. Even better is the fact that you can hook this engine up to a transmission that you shift on your own using a Alcantara-covered stick. The 6-speed Tremec TR6060 comes standard. If you want to go even faster you can order the 10-speed automatic, but what fun would that be? This car represents peak Cadillac. It has taken everything learned over the years and puts it into one impressive package. It is also a swan song, as Cadillac will not build another internal combustion powered sports sedan after this.
David Patterson recently had a Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with the 6-speed to review for his ThatDudeinBlue YouTube channel. Covered in Electric Blue paint the car somehow manages to look both subtle and unique. It doesn’t look like Grandpa’s old DeVille, but it doesn’t look like a crazy track monster either. There is no huge wing at the back or dive planes at the front. It simply looks like a good-looking sedan. But when you put the exhaust in track mode and stand on it, then the world around you knows this is something special.
Forza & Reality Collide
The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is highly configurable. And all the changes can be controlled via a touchscreen on the dash that has little slider bars to change the settings. “You can actually adjust your tuning of your steering input, your suspension, everything you want–with something called My Mode,” explained Patterson. And that touchscreen has a thoughtful ergonomic design which is it is actually tilted back a little bit instead of straight up and down like in many other cars.
This slight rake to the screen makes it feel more natural as if you were holding your own phone or tablet. It is a small touch but something that shows the level of thought that Cadillac put into the design of the car. The rest of the interior is lovely and has a high-quality feel and look to it. But you don’t buy this car for the interior.
What’s It Like on the Street?
“I know why you guys are here. How fast is it? It’s dumb. It is so dumb fast,” said Patterson. Well, there you have it, not much more to say. Patterson had the opportunity to drive the Blackwing on the track as well as on the street, and he was equally impressed in each environment. On the track there is a slight bend where he was able to do a flat foot upshift from forth to fifth gear and hit 145 mph. And the car sounded glorious while doing it. Yes, the automatic was setting quicker lap times, so if that is your top priority, that is the car to get. However, the 6-speed was just a lot more satisfying to drive.
The car is dialed in from the suspension to the brakes, but of course the star of the show is that LT4. A 1.7-liter supercharger sits on top of the 6.2-liter V8 engine. That engine is hand-built in Bowling Green, Kentucky. That town may sound familiar to Corvette fans. This is simply a jewel of an engine. The days of engines like this are numbered, and we will all be sad to see it go. However, if this has to be the last one, it is a hell of a way to go out.
Conclusion
The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. Buy it. The end. Seriously, this car is fantastic and represents a high-water mark in Cadillac history. It is very likely that in forty or fifty years from now a preserved or restored CT5-V Blackwing will be rolling down the lawn at Pebble Beach. We have the chance today to buy a future classic, and we should take advantage of that chance. If you need more convincing, checkout the video below.
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