Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Hits the Track

Those of us feeling Mother Nature’s icy grip in the Northeast would love to be in Florida for two reasons: the obvious one and to see the Cadillac CTS-V coupe get its first track time at Sebring International Raceway. 

According to Cadillac, the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe race car hit the track for the first time yesterday, driven by Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim for tests at Sebring. Cadillac announced in a press release it is reentering the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge GT series this year, beginning with the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 25-27. Cadillac competed in the World Challenge series in 2004-2007, earning the Speed GT Manufacturer’s Championship in both 2005 and 2007 with CTS-V Sedan race cars.

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Set for Detroit

The 556-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V Coupe will be unveiled to the press at the Detroit auto show next Monday.

With the Detroit auto show just around the corner, General Motors released photos of the forthcoming Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, a supercharged version of the luxury coupe introduced a few weeks ago at the Los Angeles auto show.

The announcement may not be the greatest of timing. Oil rose to above $81 on Monday. And in India, Toyota and Honda unveiled subcompact concepts at the New Dehli auto expo. The release of a new gas-swilling muscle sedan will not warm the hearts of Americans who feel that G.M. is living off borrowed money (and time).

Of course, the CTS-V Coupe has been in the works for a while. It is a natural derivative of the CTS brand, which already includes the highly rated V-Series sedan. The coupe version features the same 556-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine and a choice of two 6-speed transmissions: a dual-disc clutch Tremec TR6060 manual and a Hydra-Matic 6L90 automatic with paddle shifters. The coupe also comes with Magnetic Ride Control suspension and Brembo brakes.

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Spotted

With the latest generation of the CTS, Cadillac has set forth on expanding the model lineup to it’s proper size. While the first-generation was successful in revitalizing the brand, the sedan model wasn’t followed up with coupe, convertible or wagon models. Successful companies create strong brands and models, then build off of them.

The CTS is an impressive product, and this time it is being followed up with a coupe and wagon. Convertible? Maybe they’re saving that for the third generation. Regardless, right now the news is about the V performance models.

The CTS coupe isn’t even out in full force yet and spy shots are already surfacing of the V model testing. The CTS-V sedan has acquitted itself very well against peers and is an excellent model. Given the capability of higher profit sales resulting from the addition across the range, producing V models across the range makes sense. The CTS-V coupe was just recently confirmed though.

Cadillac still needs make up their mind if the CTS is going to be a 3 or 5-series competitor. Despite that, I’m very eager to see the CTS-V; for all of Cadillac’s faults and product planning issues, the CTS is a standout car. Production for the CTS-V Coupe is supposedly starting in summer of 2010.

Sneak Peek: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Newly un-retired GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz confirmed this month that the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe was still a go.

Compared to the prototypes we saw last year, these new prototypes look almost production-ready down to the two massive, center-mounted exhaust outlets; larger, sportier wheels; and V-series badging. We can also see that this new prototype is NOT sporting cross-drilled rotors as the first prototypes were. Additionally, pieces of black tape cover the V-series badges just behind the front wheels.

Other V-series parts include the wire mesh grilles, power dome hood, wider tires and large brake calipers. Under that power dome hood sits the 6.2-liter, supercharged V-8 motor known as the LSA. Good for 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet torque in the CTS-V sedan; we expect the Coupe V ratings to be very similar.