For 20 years now, the V-Series Cadillacs have been defying all expectations of Stateside performance cars and Caddys in general. They’ve required no exception or excuse to take on Europe’s best, creating more than a few cult heroes - see the CTS-V wagon - in the process. But any sports saloon or SUV with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8s is not long for this world; the Escalade V is having its final year, and for the CT5-V Blackwing’s swansong Caddy has made a ‘Precision Pack’.
Even the first sentence and its footnote hints at how near the end now is: ‘Today Cadillac introduced the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing1 Precision Package’. Scroll down to the bottom and the note reads ‘extremely limited availability’. Sob. Turns out it’s the last chance saloon of every description. Those who can get a PP are going to have to move fast, but it sounds well worth having.
It gets ceramic brakes, for starters, plus a rework of the highly praised magnetic dampers (which is part of a wider recalibration of subsystems that includes steering, chassis controls and eLSD). There are some really in-depth tweaks, too, the kind of stuff that will pass most folk by but will absolutely appeal to the kind of person who’s still excited by a six-speed manual saloon with 670hp.
The Precision Pack Blackwing gets new front steering knuckles and rear toe links to allow ‘for more aggressive wheel alignment for track usage’. That’s how serious they are. Completing the upgrade are a larger front anti-roll bar, revised suspension bushings and increased spring rates. It all points to a more serious, more focused CT5-V Blackwing, which sounds right up our street. America’s M5 CS, perhaps.
Indeed, Cadillac reckons this isn’t merely some track-ready renegade; it promises improved steering feel in all situations and improved circuit ability but ‘without compromising the luxury and refinement that define the Cadillac brand’. Vice Pres of Global Cadillac, John Roth, added: “For 20 years, V-Series has represented Cadillac's commitment to performance, technology and craftsmanship, serving as the purest expression of the brand’s core values. We wanted to put an exclamation mark on this era of Cadillac excellence and offer enthusiasts the utmost in driving exhilaration.” It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.
A price hasn’t yet been announced for the Precision Package; there’s the feeling that anyone willing to pay $100k for a manual V8 come 2025 (production begins early next year) will pay whatever premium is asked for the end-of-an-era special. Prepare the black armbands for a few months time - another much-loved American hero must meet its maker.
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