Motor Authority - blog Category: CTS-V

Last month, during a discussion with journalists about General Motors’ new “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign, Bob Lutz laid down the challenge to any journalist to a duel with the Cadillac CTS-V to see if any comparable car could topple the Caddy.

The guys at Jalopnik quickly accepted, putting forward Wes Siler who was originally planning to race in a Jaguar XFR until officials pulled the car because of fears of the brakes overheating. Luckily Siler still had a Mitsubishi Evo on hand.

He was joined by Jack Baruth from The Truth About Cars who also drove a Cadillac CTS-V and several ‘civilians’ driving a...

Last month, during a discussion with journalists about General Motors’ new “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign, Bob Lutz laid down the challenge to any journalist to a duel with the Cadillac CTS-V to see if any comparable car could topple the Caddy. The guys at Jalopnik quickly accepted, putting forward Wes Siler who was originally planning to race in a Jaguar XFR until officials pulled the car because of fears of the brakes overheating. Luckily Siler still had a Mitsubishi Evo on hand. He was joined by Jack Baruth from The Truth About Cars who also drove a Cadillac CTS-V and several ‘civilians’ driving a BMW M3, a BMW M5, an Audi RS4 and even another Cadillac CTS-V. Well, the event took place today at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, N.Y. and we now have the results. Taking top honors was former GM Performance Division Executive John Heinricy with a lap time of 2m and 46.56s in the Cadillac CTS-V. 1. Cadillac CTS-V (John Heinricy): 2:46:560 2. Cadillac CTS-V (Brian Redman): 2:49:183 3. Cadillac CTS-V (Aaron Link): 2:48:902 4. BMW M3 (Michael Cooper): 2.50:424 5. Cadillac CTS-V (Jack Baruth): 2:51:153 6. Cadillac CTS-V (Lawrence Ulrich): 2:53:026 7. Cadillac CTS-V (Bob Lutz): 2:56:321 8. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X (Wes Siler): 3:08.126 9. BMW M5 (Michael Mainwald): 3:08:989 10. Cadillac CTS-V (Chris Fairman.): 3:14:292 11. Audi RS4 (Tom Loder): 3:15:702 12. Jaguar XF (Archan Basu): 3:16.670 Read More

Bob Lutz's challenge aside, there's no denying that the Cadillac CTS-V is one seriously impressive performer. It's only made all the more so by Hennessey's 700-plus-horsepower treatment of the car. But you know it's a whole different ball game when a street car accelerates so hard it activates its GM OnStar emergency system.

That's exactly what happens in the video below, with a Hennessey CTS-V700 running an 11-second, 128-mph quarter mile last week. The car rockets off the line, spinning the tires through first, most of second, and part of third, hitting at least 0.99 g of longitudinal acceleration along the way. And that's apparently...

Bob Lutz's challenge aside, there's no denying that the Cadillac CTS-V is one seriously impressive performer. It's only made all the more so by Hennessey's 700-plus-horsepower treatment of the car. But you know it's a whole different ball game when a street car accelerates so hard it activates its GM OnStar emergency system. That's exactly what happens in the video below, with a Hennessey CTS-V700 running an 11-second, 128-mph quarter mile last week. The car rockets off the line, spinning the tires through first, most of second, and part of third, hitting at least 0.99 g of longitudinal acceleration along the way. And that's apparently enough to trigger the on-board sensor's "vehicle event" emergency alert system and merit a call from OnStar. The video shows the event with in-car telemetry, including fully glorious audio of the run itself, so crank the volume and hit the clip below. [Hennessey] Read More

Cadillac's high-performance CTS-V Sedan already has it what it takes to scare of the likes of BMW's M5, Mercedes' E63 AMG and Audi’s new RS6 thanks to its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 with a healthy 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque on tap. According to the latest reports, General Motors is now going after the touring wagon versions of the previously mentioned German performance thoroughbreds with a V version of the recently revealed 2010 CTS Sport Wagon.

Revealed by InsideLine via Twitter, the news reportedly comes from an unnamed GM insider, but the confirmation is allegedly 100% positive: the CTS-V Sportwagon will be produced....

Cadillac's high-performance CTS-V Sedan already has it what it takes to scare of the likes of BMW's M5, Mercedes' E63 AMG and Audi’s new RS6 thanks to its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 with a healthy 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque on tap. According to the latest reports, General Motors is now going after the touring wagon versions of the previously mentioned German performance thoroughbreds with a V version of the recently revealed 2010 CTS Sport Wagon. Revealed by InsideLine via Twitter, the news reportedly comes from an unnamed GM insider, but the confirmation is allegedly 100% positive: the CTS-V Sportwagon will be produced. Enthusiasts of the world rejoice: the CTS-V will be available in a size for everyone, from coupe to wagon. Stylish wagons are popular in Europe, one of the most important potential markets for Cadillac's own CTS Sport Wagon. A halo model for the new range may just be what Cadillac needs to build a strong brand image and encourage a loyal customer base. Former product czar and new marketing honcho Bob Lutz hinted at a CTS-V wagon back in July and CEO Fritz Henderson has dropped an even stronger hint at the vehicle’s development in August with the announcement that the model’s introduction was being reanalyzed. The case for building a CTS-V wagon nevertheless was thought to be somewhat contentious because of the low popularity of such models in North America. There is, after all, a reason why BMW and Audi have shied away from the high-performance wagon market in the U.S.--simply put, there are not many takers for the cars. Both Audi and BMW refuse to sell their performance variants in the U.S., while the Mercedes E63 AMG wagon barely breaks double digits in sales per year. Dodge's Magnum and its SRT-8 variant was a notorious flop despite its Chrysler 300C looks and strong powertrain. However, the issue might be different for a CTS-V wagon because of the much cheaper expected price of the Cadillac compared to its German rivals. If Cadillac were to produce a CTS-V wagon, assuming that they could sell it within a $60,000-$65,000 price range--mirroring pricing for the sedan--it would still be able to undercut the Mercedes' E63 AMG Estate Wagon by over $20,000 and effectively attract a much broader range of customers. [Twitter via Jalopnik] Read More

General Motors' Cadillac brand has long aspired to be 'The Standard of the World,' and for a period, it was. Over the last four decades, however, innovation, consistency and quality haven't been hallmarks of the brand. Now, as the auto industry faces some of its bleakest times ever, Cadillac is preparing a new model onslaught.

In the recent past we’ve seen the unveiling of the new 2010 SRX crossover as well as the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon, and by May next year the sporty CTS Coupe will arrive in showrooms – in both standard and high-performance CTS-V guises.

The information was revealed buy a GM spokesman who spoke recently with ... General Motors' Cadillac brand has long aspired to be 'The Standard of the World,' and for a period, it was. Over the last four decades, however, innovation, consistency and quality haven't been hallmarks of the brand. Now, as the auto industry faces some of its bleakest times ever, Cadillac is preparing a new model onslaught. In the recent past we’ve seen the unveiling of the new 2010 SRX crossover as well as the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon, and by May next year the sporty CTS Coupe will arrive in showrooms – in both standard and high-performance CTS-V guises. The information was revealed buy a GM spokesman who spoke recently with TheCarConnection. The spokesman said the two-door CTS would get the 2011 model year designation, and that it would share powertrains with the CTS Sedan and the Sport Wagon. The Coupe had been due for a release this summer, but GM's bankruptcy resulted in many product planning changes. For 2010, the CTS lineup gets GM’s new 270 horsepower direct-injected V-6 as the new base powertrain option, while the former 3.6-liter unit is now optional.Cadillac CTS Coupe Read More

A rebadged Pontiac G8 isn’t the only new model General Motors’ new marketing czar Bob Lutz is shouting about. During a Web-chat held on GM’s own FastLane blog, Lutz was open to a number of questions about the company’s future plans and went as far as confirming a couple.

One of the models that have been given the production green light is a high-performance CTS-V Coupe from Cadillac. The stylish CTS Coupe, which was first presented in concept form at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, and then confirmed for production in GM’s viability presentation earlier this year, will hit the streets in the middle of... A rebadged Pontiac G8 isn’t the only new model General Motors’ new marketing czar Bob Lutz is shouting about. During a Web-chat held on GM’s own FastLane blog, Lutz was open to a number of questions about the company’s future plans and went as far as confirming a couple. One of the models that have been given the production green light is a high-performance CTS-V Coupe from Cadillac. The stylish CTS Coupe, which was first presented in concept form at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, and then confirmed for production in GM’s viability presentation earlier this year, will hit the streets in the middle of next year as a 2011 model and will now be offered with the CTS-V option. "As of now the V package is planned only for the sedan and coupe," Lutz wrote. This means the car is likely to pack the same 556hp and 551lb-ft of torque supercharged 6.2L V8 found in the regular CTS-V Sedan. Lutz went on to hint at the possibility of a CTS-V version of the upcoming CTS Sport Wagon. Lutz said that if the demand exists, "there is no reason why we couldn't do a V-Series wagon, and I would be standing in line for one, just ahead of you."Cadillac CTS Coupe2009 Cadillac CTS-V Read More

Texas-based tuning firm Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has announced plans for several highly modified Cadillac CTS-V sedans that the company plans to launch later this year. Dubbed the ‘V’ series, the uprated cars will offer outputs from 610hp (455kW) all the way up to 800hp (595kW) and joins other mega-power custom cars like the recently launched ‘Godzilla 700’ Nissan GT-R and a string of ‘Venom’ Dodge Vipers.

At the heart of tuned Cadillacs is GM's new 6.2L LSA supercharged V8, which in standard trim already outputs a healthy 556hp (414kW). Add a K&N sports air filter, upgraded supercharger... Texas-based tuning firm Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has announced plans for several highly modified Cadillac CTS-V sedans that the company plans to launch later this year. Dubbed the ‘V’ series, the uprated cars will offer outputs from 610hp (455kW) all the way up to 800hp (595kW) and joins other mega-power custom cars like the recently launched ‘Godzilla 700’ Nissan GT-R and a string of ‘Venom’ Dodge Vipers. At the heart of tuned Cadillacs is GM's new 6.2L LSA supercharged V8, which in standard trim already outputs a healthy 556hp (414kW). Add a K&N sports air filter, upgraded supercharger pulley and belt, and revised ECU, and the powerplant churns out 610hp (455kW) and 605lb-ft (820Nm) of torque for the basic V600 package. Hennessey claims a 0-60mph time of just 3.7 seconds, an 11.8 second quarter mile ET and a top speed of 195mph. Next in line is a series of upgrades delivering 650hp (485kW) and 700hp, respectively. Additional modifications necessary for the power hike includes a new cold air induction system, new camshafts, stainless steel headers and a full 3in exhaust, and an intercooler upgrades. Expect to see the 0-60mph time drop to around 3.1 seconds when fitted with these upgrades plus 20in wheels shod with Nitto drag radial tires. Rounding out the range is the V800 twin-turbo upgrade delivering a supercar-rivalling 800hp (595kW) and 780lb-ft (1,056Nm) of torque. Some of the extra modifications include a custom twin-turbo set-up with external wastegates, blow-off-valves and a fuel delivery system upgrade. Read More