Oh yeah, it’s coming! We’ve been waiting to see this thing hit showrooms for almost two years, and we’re getting closer! Being huge fans of the CTS-V, we can’t wait to get our hands on the new one ourselves.
The first generation was a great car, especially for its time, but it was riddled with faults as a result of after-engineering. In other words, the V8-powered CTS-V wasn’t even so much on the table when the base car was conceived.
We wish we could just peel away the graffiti camo and see what this car really looks like underneath! Soon enough, though, we will!
In fact, they were taking a 2.8L turbocharged V6 performance variant called the CTSi, until Bob Lutz intervened.
“We have the V8 engine we need, so let’s get it done,” as he was famously quoted as saying. The end result was a 400 hp powerhouse that put Germany, and much of the world, on notice.
We already have to wonder how many would-be competitors will be seeing this view in 2016 and beyond…
Fast-forward five years later, and the LSA-powered second-gen was taking the world by storm. If the ’04-07 CTS-V didn’t move you, this one did. Literally. Five-hundred and fifty-six horsepower from a boosted 6.2L V8 will do that to you. Low-12s were the norm, and it became the fastest handling 4-door sedan of the time.
Now, here we are gearing up for the third-generation ‘V, and we caught a glimpse of it here in this spy footage at the Nurburgring in Deutschland. While nothing is concrete in terms of specs, you can definitely hear the rumble of a V8 through the exhaust and a slight hint of whine – it’s supercharged! The most logical, reasonable, and cost-effective explanation is that the V3 is getting the blown LT4, borrowed from the C7 Z06.
Good for 650 hp and 650 lb-ft., this thing is simply going to fly! And since the third-generation CTS is lighter than the previous car, we can only assume that the platform changes made from the base car will carry over onto the new ‘V. Until then, we can only dream…
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
