By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

The Cadillac CTS-V comes from the factory loaded with options and speed. Throw a TVS 2300 Corvette ZR1 supercharger into the mix, and now you have one of the fastest luxury sedans on the road. Custom fabricated and assembled for power, read more about the ZR1 supercharged CTS-V at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

The fastest quarter mile time for a Cadillac CTS-V is held by “The Vette Doctors” with a 10.32 second run at 136.72 mph! Previously owned by the Hennessey CTS-V, will we get to see a grudge match between the two super powers? Only time will tell. Read more about the fastest Cadillac CTS-V in the USA at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By John Naderi

StreetFire.net

Much like the impending drop top Camaro we knew it was coming, this, the Coupe version of Cadillac’s comely CTS. And there it sat with little fanfare at the LA Auto Show. Our only hint was an invite-only affair on the eve of the show’s press days that apparently we weren’t invited to (that’s okay, we just cuddled up on the couch with some warm tea and a yummy chick flick – French Kiss, if you must know). Hit the jump for more on the CTS Coupe and less on Meg Ryan.

Continue reading "Cadillac Drops Two Doors in LA" »

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

We just got word from our buddies over at Royal Purple about “The Forum Wars,” an event that will pit owners of various enthusiast vehicles against each other, and it sounds pretty cool. The bad news is that to compete, you have to been able to be in Los Angeles by Friday. But the good news is that all the battles will be filmed for broadcast on SPEED, so if you’ve ever wanted to show the whole world that your driving shoes aren’t a fashion statement, this is right up your alley. Right now they’re looking for a CTS-V or an E63 Mercedes Benz to race a BMW M5, a Honda Civic Si or Mazdaspeed3 to battle a VW GTi, and a C6 Corvette to pit against a GT500 Shelby Mustang, and there are still plenty of spots. Apparently, the producers are having a hard time finding a ‘Vette owner who’s up to the challenge, so if you own one and know what you’re doing on the track, you should hit them up. Read the full press release with all the details on how to enter after the jump.

Continue reading "SoCal CTS-V, E63 AND C6 'Vette Owners, Royal Purple's "The Forum Wars" Needs You!" »

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

A recent track test by Hennessey Performance of their V700 CTS-V package set off the OnStar emergency system thanks to a .99g longitudinal pull. This is the same vehicle that ran a 185 mph standing mile! The car simply has too much horsepower! I guess Cadillac didn’t think of the tuners when they designed the big brother alert system. Too much technology, not enough consideration for all possibilities. It doesn’t look good for the OnStar system, but it speaks extremely highly of Hennessey’s performance capabilities!  It would get mighty annoying if every time I launched my 700 horsepower CTS-V I was contacted by OnStar. “Just me again, no emergency just too much power!” Read more at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

That’s the only possible reason I can think of that Mike was turned down for a chance to go up against Bob Lutz and his CTS-V. As many of you know, Mike is a NASA track instructor with a lot of experience at the Monticello Motor Club, where this little event will be held on Thursday. Mike also just acquired a Dodge Magnum SRT-8 that he was gonna run (yeah, it weighs a lot more and has less hp than the Caddy). But GM won’t let him. If you have a comment, you can leave it at the GM Blog.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a band that made me want to listen to them—and only them—for days on end. But I have to say, the Manhattan Love Suicides have completely hijacked my iPod this week, and tomorrow, I’m going to see if I can find some of their stuff on vinyl. Anyway, here’s the news:

• It’s difficult to imagine too many racers would support lower speed limits, but that’s just what Valentino Rossi’s hometown of Tavullia has done in tribute of the MotoGP superstar. Max velocity will be dropped from 50 to 46KPH—his number—to honor "the Doctor," but there’s no word on whether the polizia will issue tickets for going four over. Autoblog
• A pair of guys in Australia have been making algae-based biodiesel in a backyard, which is really cool. There are plenty of companies still working on perfecting this technology, and the fact that these gents are able to produce a couple of liters a day is way cool. Bravo! CleanTechnica
• A group of wackos in the UK has decided that the country should start scrapping cars at 18, to make sure all the cars on its roads are squeaky clean. Look guys, England is great, and the whole driving-on-the-wrong-side thing doesn’t even bother me. But this idea is crazy! Why not head down to the pub and drink it off? WhatCar?
• The CTS-V, the General’s ‘Ring shredding, 550HP super-Caddy is going to list for a very reasonable 60 grand. [Confidential to GM: remember what I said? About the Clash? "Brand New Cadillac?" Don't let me down...] Motor Authority

GM has not ruled out a supercharged V8 version of the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the V6-powered version of which is due to hit showrooms in mid-2009. Cadillac’s position is that the infrastructure is already there, since its upcoming CTS-V will pack the 556 hp blown V8, and its drivetrain and hopped-up running gear could be easily swapped into the wagon. So all that remains to be asked is, why wouldn’t Cadillac offer a truly hot wagon? Read more at Edmunds.

When I was in New York in March, the new CTS-V was one of my favorite cars. Seriously, what’s not to love about a sport-tuned, 550 horsepower Caddy with a six speed? The brand new Cadillac has already taken a blistering lap around the ‘Ring, and now it’s proven that it can best both BMW’s M5 and Mercedes’ AMG E63 in acceleration, braking, and handling. Check out the full review over at Inside Line.

When Rob, Jen and I went to have dinner with Bob Lutz, I took the opportunity to mention to Dave Barthmuss, one of GM’s Western managers, that the General should use The Clash’s cover of "Brand New Cadillac" in commercials. To be honest, I hadn’t thought too much of it, but when Rob and I caught a Mariners game with the GM folks the other night, Dave said he’d downloaded the track and forwarded my suggestion to the Cadillac division. How cool is that? Now, if Strummer and company wind up helping sell the new CTS, it’s going to take everyone at CarDomain HQ to peel me off the ceiling. What songs to you think would be perfect for car commercials?