Last time we heard from Cadillac, it was busy launching the new Escalade. Before that, talk about the upcoming Cadillac CT5-V hot really heated up due to a report that said it won’t get the Blackwing V-8 and instead receive the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 found inside the CTS-V.

At this point in time, the Blackwing’s fate holds a lot of uncertainty, and the worst part is that Cadillac hasn’t got the slightest clue about how, where, and when to use the 4.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 mill.

When Cadillac first announced the Blackwing V-8, a lot of us jumped for joy. It was intended as a Caddy-only powertrain that would only make it into luxury cars and came from a clean-sheet design. Two versions of the engine could be had: 500 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque or 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque (or 640 pound-feet, according to some past reports). The first Cadillac to receive it was the CT6-V, but it could also be the last, which would turn the Blackwing V-8 into a one-hit wonder. Gangnam Style, anyone?


Engine

Blackwing V-8

Blackwing V-8

Horsepower

500

550

Torque

553

627


According to Cadillac Society, Cadillac doesn’t have a plan for the Blackwing engine “at the moment.” The outlet spoke with Cadillac President Steve Carlisle during the Escalade launch event in Beverly Hills, who add that “we were encouraged by the reactions to the Blackwing, so there will be a little bit of Blackwing still. We’re not done rolling out our performance sedans, so stay tuned on that.”

The thing is, we can’t ignore the rumors saying that the CT5-V and CT4-V won’t get the Blackwing but the aforementioned 640 horsepower, 630-pound-feet 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 from the CTS-V.

Previous rumors also forwarded the new Escalade as likely candidate for the Blackwing - perhaps in the shape of a more extreme iteration of the SUV, but that’s not the case anymore as the Escalade’s launch slashed that tittle-tattle.

What’s next for the Blackwing V-8?

Any attempt at predicting the future of Caddy’s Blackwing powerplant would have the same effect as threading water. Solving the mystery and making sure the V-8 lives to power another Cadillac flagship is now in the hands of GM’s head honchos. If Mr. Carlisle’s promises are true, then Cadillac will obviously not bury the Blackwing and try to harness its magic in the future, near or far.

Even though Cadillac hasn’t thought of a car to gift the engine to, killing it would only mean a waste of R&D money and staff effort. Just like you, we’d love to see the Blackwing power one or more cars in the future, but there’s also the possibility of it ending up in a special edition, highly-expensive version out of reach for most buyers out there. And that’s something we’re not too keen on having.