Once upon a time, the perfect sports sedan recipe was simple and readily available. You had a V8 engine up front, a manual gearbox and five seats in the middle, and drive sent to the rear axle. Those were simple times, and that recipe gave us some of the greatest cars of all time.
From BMW M3s (E90) and M5s (E39) to more run-of-the-mill models like the Chevrolet SS and a plethora of American muscle sedans, there was an abundance of cars that fit that brief. But in the year of our Lord 2026, there is just one sedan left with a V8, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive: the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
The Best Performance Sedan Ever?
Cadillac on the prowl.Cadillac
By now, you know the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing’s headline figures, with the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine pumping out a thunderous 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque. Whereas the BMW M5 and performance sedans of its ilk have paired that much power with AWD for the better part of a decade, Cadillac’s defiance of driving the front axle is admirable. But making the manual standard? That’s worthy of parades through the streets.
The manual is a six-speed unit sourced from transmission specialists Tremec, featuring No-Lift Shift functionality and Active Rev-Matching for the most performance possible from a car with three pedals.
With one of the most beautifully balanced chassis, a long wheelbase, keen steering, and the ability to row gears yourself, the CT5-V Blackwing puts in a strong shout for being crowned one of the best performance sedans ever built. The only problem is that this has officially been crowned the final send-off for the ICE-powered Cadillac V series, and while the manual was retained for the facelift (thanks to a nearly 50 percent take rate for the six-speed in 2023), when the CT5-V Blackwing thunders off into the night, it’ll take that six-speed with it.
This year, Cadillac introduced the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector Series, celebrating the brand’s first Grand Prix in the USA. It’s not a phone-in special edition either. In addition to special design features, Cadillac added a new supercharger that ups the power to 685 hp and 673 lb-ft of torque. Only 26 will be built, and it’s guaranteed to increase in value. The standard car is already the last of its kind, and this is by far the gnarliest version of it.
Is The CT5-V Blackwing A Future Collector’s Item?
Red 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Curated side view in redCadillac
People like to hype current models as future classics to artificially inflate their values, but the CT5-V Blackwing might actually have a case for itself. The F1 Collector Series says it right in the name — it’s a special variant with more power than normal (which on its own is impressive) from a new supercharger, and such a limited production is sure to run up the numbers. Putting the rare variant aside, the normal Blackwing model holds value better than most cars.
In fact, the debut model year’s base MSRP in 2022 was $83,995, and Kelley Blue Book shows them with a fair purchase price of $76,250 today. That’s only a roughly 10% drop in four years, whereas many other cars will lose half their value in a similar timeframe due to normal depreciation. Buyers are spending even more on other special variants, like the First Edition Series from 2022 (250 units produced) or the 2023 model year’s 120-year Anniversary Edition, of which 120 units were produced. We’re confident that the latest F1 Collector’s Series will gain serious traction at future auctions.
The CT5 range, including the Blackwing, will also come to the end of its production run in 2026. That means you only have four months left to buy one. While the CT5 will return with gas engines, Caddy has been silent about the Blackwing version.
Cadillac Has a Good Reputation for V8 Sedans
2006 Cadillac STS-V Exterior Alongside Cadillac CTS-V Finished In SilverNetCarShow
It’s fitting for Cadillac to be the last bastion of the rear-wheel-drive V8 sedan, since the automaker has offered so many options in its past. Some of its other sports sedans include the current CT5-V and CT4-V, but they use turbocharged four and six-cylinder engines, respectively. For some sweet V8 models, we’ll have to dive deeper. An often overlooked, rare model today is the STS-V. This sedan was sold from the 2006 through the 2009 model years, and was built with a 4.4-liter supercharged V8 heart that made 469 horsepower and 439 lb-ft of torque.
Of course, it’s not worth much today after being overshadowed by the less-powerful CTS-V sedan from the same era and beyond. While the STS-V only lasted for a single brief generation, the CTS-V went on to stardom with another generation that included sedan, coupe, and wagon variants.
A more modern, also overlooked model that some of you may not even know about is Cadillac’s CT6-V. The CT6 launched for the 2016 model year, then its V-Series variant arrived for just two model years in 2019 and 2020. Under the hood was a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 that made 550 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque, which was sent to the rear wheels via a 10-speed automatic. 0-60 mph happened in under four seconds.
The Extinction List: What We Lost to Get Here
2014 BMW M5 F10 Blue Front Lights OnBMW
To fully grasp why the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing stands alone, one must appreciate the sheer devastation that has swept through the performance sedan landscape over the past decade. There was a time when driving enthusiasts were spoiled for choice, with automakers routinely pairing high-octane V8 engines with three pedals and rear-wheel drive. Icons like the E39 and F10 generations of the BMW M5 established the golden standard, delivering surgical precision alongside pure, unadulterated manual control.
Domestic rivals eagerly answered the call, giving us sleeper legends like the Chevrolet SS and the roaring Pontiac G8 XP, both of which delivered raw American muscle in practical, four-door suits. Even Dodge kept the spirit alive for muscle enthusiasts, though the four-door Charger notably abandoned the manual box altogether.
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP front 3/4GM
Fast-forward to today, and that once-vibrant segment has been completely wiped out. Automakers rapidly pivoted toward complex all-wheel-drive systems, heavy hybrid powertrains, and dual-clutch automatics in pursuit of relentless 0–60 mph times. In doing so, they left behind the visceral, mechanical connection that defined a generation of sports sedans. The Blackwing isn’t just a survivor of this shift; it is the final monument to a golden era that everyone else walked away from.
Sources: Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Lexus, Cadillac
