Manoli Katakis 
When various Cadillac executives proclaimed that there’d be a little bit of Blackwing in future Cadillac products, this is what they meant. And it’s only what they meant. Cadillac today has officially confirmed that it will use the ‘Blackwing’ name on its direct replacements for the 464 hp ATS-V and 640 hp CTS-V. And things appear to be going well, as the brand claims that the CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing have managed to lap Virginia International Raceway “seconds faster” than their predecessors. In addition, Cadillac confirmed that both vehicles will offer manual transmissions to complement the expected 10-speed automatics.
First of all, we told all of you so. Second of all, we told you so. MC&T has been first to report on several juicy details regarding the Blackwing Cadillacs, and it’s only now that the brand is confirming what we’ve delivered to you as far back as spring 2019. And there’s so much more to report.
To recap, the 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing will be replacing the Cadillac ATS-V directly. It will ride on an upgraded architecture to the ATS-V’s Alpha platform, called A2xx. This promises wildly capable, yet approachable driving dynamics. Under the hood will be a carryover of the twin-turbo 3.6L V6 engine found in the ATS-V, although it’s unclear if the engine’s output will be improved from 464 horsepower and 445 lb-ft of torque. Meanwhile, the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will carry forward the awesome LT4 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine. As is the case with the CT4-V Blackwing, it’s unclear if the 640 hp 630 lb-ft of torque power figures from the third-generation CTS-V will be adjusted.
As we first reported here at MC&T, the pair of super Cadillac sedans have been delayed six months. Originally planned for the 2021 model year, the two vehicles have been punted to the 2022 model year due to industry disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
