It’s finally here; the 2022 Cadillac CTS5-V Blackwing, a car that’s been anticipated for over two years. What can best be described as the direct replacement for the bygone CTS-V, the CT5-V Blackwing is that, plus more. On the fact of it, it looks similar and a little more tame than its predecessor, and the LT4 carries over largely unchanged from the CTS-V. However, with nearly an additional 28hp on tap (over the old CTS-V’s 640hp), updated tech and for the first time since 2015, a manual transmission behind a boosted V8, it’s what the V-Series purists have been begging for.
Now, this isn’t to be confused with the “normal” CT5-V, a car that has been on the market for nearly two years but is solely motivated by a 3-liter, twin-turbo V6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Great car, but to many, it just falls short of the V-Series branding. This car, however, doesn’t. Less than 1,000 CT5-V Blackwings will be made for 2022 and already, Cadillac is letting it know that it will, a.) be the final V-Series to feature a manual transmission, and b.) will be the final V-Series to feature a petrol-powered V8 engine. That’s right, after the CT5-V and its little twin turbo’d V6 brother, the CT4-V Blackwing leave production, the next generation V-Series cars will be… you guessed it, fully-electric.
Whatever your feelings about EVs and future V-Series cars being battery-operated, is irrelevant. The CT5-V Blackwing is the here and now, and we’re going to soak it all up as much as possible. Our friend Jeremy at Fasterproms, whose builds we’ve featured here in the past, managed to get his hands on one of the first to hit the streets. The first order of business? A quick walk-around and an under-car closeup. Next? The dyno and a few blasts down the 1/8-mile strip. The results? See for yourself.
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.
