LS Fest is the mecca for all things GM Gen III and up engine powered. Over the years, the event has blown up into something magical, and as a result, the best and fastest are drawn out of their garages from all over the country. While the CTS-Vs have really started to flock to LS Fest by the boat load over the years, there was another Caddy there that was grabbing everyone’s attention. This 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville will make you forget about the modern Cadillacs, at least for a minute or two. When it showed up at Holley LS Fest, it flexed its power, and showed that old dogs can definitely learn new tricks.
According to the owner, Shawn Gilbert, the Coupe de Ville drives like “like a Cadillac”, and it looks fairly plain on the inside, but what’s under the hood is fair from ordinary. The owner of this Coupe de Ville doesn’t say exactly which LS engine powers his Caddy, just that it’s a 6.0L. It’s not likely to be one of the truck versions, so we’ll go with the LS2, which would make sense.
The LS2 made quite an impression during its run in the C6, GTO, and even the Cadillac CTS-V. Without any help, the engine makes 400 horsepower/400 lbs-ft of torque, and once you start throwing modifications at it, it’s a real life monster.
This LS2 has been given a set of turbos, LSA heads, a Holley Dominator EFI system, and upgraded internals. Amazingly, the block and crank are both stock, and have held up so far under the quadruple digit powerhouse. The powertrain feeds into a Turbo 400 automatic transmission and 3.50 rearend. This combo all equates to 1,172 horsepower at the rear wheels, and a 1977 Caddy that runs 8.80 seconds in the 1/4 mile at 152 miles per hour.
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
