The Cadillac CTS is a mid-size produce by General Motors since 2002. So far, it has seen two generations with a third in the works for 2013.
The current model is offered in sedan, coupe, and sport-wagon variants with a choice of three different engines. The first is a 3.0L V6 developing 260hp and 223 lb-ft of torque. The second engine is a 3.6L V6 producing 304hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, while the top of the line 6.2L Supercharged V8 engine delivers 556hp and 551 lb-ft of torque. These engines are mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Ford and Chevrolet have been competing since the beginning and with today’s challenging economic times, the rivalry has grown even more fierce. It was not so long ago that car dealerships were selling hundreds of vehicles a day and running out of inventory. Ford and Chevrolet could produce any vehicle of any quality level and have it be a top seller. As the consumer has grown more conscious and more knowledgeable, the business of selling automobiles has grown more difficult.
It is hard to negate the fact that the American auto manufacturers have made leaps and bounds in terms of quality and sustainability for the vehicles they produce. These companies have begun to emerge from the financial crisis and are plotting their return to dominance. New marketing tactics have helped lead the charge and get the consumer thinking about their products. One of the best ways to do this is by having the consumer be able to test the vehicles in a non-sales environment.
At the Barrett Jackson auction in Orange County, both Ford and Chevrolet had ride and drive events set up to stimulate the car enthusiasts at the auction. Without paying any money or being hassled by a greasy car salesman, I was able to test drive the full range of new General Motors products as well as several different Ford rides. After completing some test drives, I was then whipped around the track by a professional driver in a Corvette ZR1 which left little doubt in my mind that these companies know how to show off their stuff.
Hit the jump for more details on the Ride and Drive experience.
Apparently owning a wagon over in Dubai is about as cool as doing the Irish Jig in a Hip Hop dance club, but two guys over in the Middle East are combating this ridiculous notion with a rendering of a CTS-V Wagon Racer. Yes, sadly, it’s just a rendering, but Lap 57’s Emirati race driver, Omran Al Owais, and his brother Mohammed are hoping these images will increase interest and gather up some sponsors to make this vehicle a reality.
The Cadillac wagon seen in these images actually belongs to the brothers and they hope to take them to Nurburgring to complete the next step towards possible production. Before that happens, though, the two brothers are looking for advice from some top tuners, including Hennessey Performance and D3, on how to make this happen.
Currently, the CTS-V wagon is still in standard form which means it is being powered by a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. of torque. We don’t expect to see many changes, but we imagine the changes actually made will resemble Cadillac’s adjustments to the CTS-V Coupe racer.
A CTS-V Wagon Racer is the dream car of Lap 57’s Emirati race driver Omran Al Owais who said: “We are hoping this fetish might catch on with other Emiratis and see them ditching their X6Ms and G55s, so that we start seeing serious girls on the road such as the RS6/E63 or the new exciting M5 Wagon. The streets of Jumeirah at night will never be the same.”
Hennessey Performance is bringing a bit more class to their Cadillac CTS-V V700 package by dropping it into one of the rarest Cadillac CTS-V models ever: the Black Diamond Edition with a manual transmission. Now owners of the exclusive Black Diamond can also take part in the 707 HP madness that was provided to the standard model last year.
The Black Diamond CTS-V features a dark tri-coat paint an embedded with SpectraFlair Bright Silver pigment. This special pigment uses aluminum flakes encapsulated in a glass-like substance called magnesium fluoride. The result is a paint that has a diamond-like sparkle as light hits the surface from different angles. The special exterior paint is further highlighted by Satin Graphite 19-inch wheels with yellow Brembo brake calipers and a special Midnight Sapele wood trim.
The sparkling exterior of the Black Diamond makes it a hot commodity to begin with, but Hennessey’s V700 upgrade package causes the temperature to spike with 707 raging horses, up from the CTS-V’s standard 556 HP. For this increase, the Cadillac’s 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine was given a plethora of goodies, including an HPE Cold Air Induction System, supercharger pulley upgrade, intercooler heat exchanger upgrade, and a V700 camshaft upgrade. Other features include high flow cylinder heads, stainless steel long tube headers, high flow catalytic converters, and stainless steel mid-pipes.
With these additions, the Cadillac CTS-V Black Diamond V700 can sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, make the quarter mile in 10.9 second at a speed of 128 mph, and will be capable of a top speed of 211 mph.
The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon is already a car that can get most enthusiasts drooling. Just about all of the boxes can get ticked off instantly with just a quick look. Luxurious leather interior? Check. Enough space to haul the wife, the kids, the dogs, and all of the useless knick-knacks they decided to bring on the family road trip? Check. A 556 HP supercharged, Corvette-sourced V8? Check.
For many enthusiasts, the Caddy wagon is just about all they could ask for in a car. Ludicrously fast, reasonably priced, and practical all at once. What more could they possibly want? Well, as Jeremy Clarkson would say, “MORE POWERRRRRRR!”
That’s right, folks. In true tuner fashion, Hennessey Performance near Houston, Texas decided that the CTS-V Sport Wagon needed just a tad more power.
More details on the Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V650 Sport Wagon after the jump.
UPDATE 05/07/2011: Here’s another tasty treat from the guys over at Hennessey. Their latest video for the CTS-V650 shows the Cadillac doing a few burnouts at Lonestar Motorsports Park. You may want to pump up the volume for this one.
Don’t worry, no one has manufactured high heels and extravagant wigs to place on any undeserving vehicles, but we have found a drag race that errs on the side of weird. Motortrend has taken a chance on a very eccentric review by pitting three out-of-place vehicles against one another: the BMW X6 M, Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, and Porsche Panamera.
If you take a look at the specs for these three models, a drag race may not seem too strange a task to undertake. The BMW X6M is powered by a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automatic with manual shift paddles that together produce 555 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque. It gets from 0-60 mph in a whopping 4.3 seconds. The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon comes equipped with a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers a total of 556 hp and 551 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine can be coupled to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic. It also does the 0-60 mph sprint in 4.3 seconds. The last awkward vehicle of the test was a Porsche Panamera and its 4.6L twin turbo V8. This engine produces 500hp and 568 lb-ft of torque when mated to a Porsche’s 7-speed twin clutch transmission.
We won’t spoil all of the fun and tell you who won this crazy race, but we will tell you that this video is a definite must-see!
