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No automaker pulls the plug on exciting projects like General Motors. The more ambitious the engineering, the more likely it is to be killed off after a very short production run. Sometimes this is intentional; the C4 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was always meant to be a low-volume version of a car that was on its way out. But more often, GM hypes something new and different only to pull it from the market a few years later. Just look at the Chevy Volt, or the car that originated the Blackwing name at Cadillac.
Before Blackwing was a trim level, it was an engine. And it powered the performance version of the Cadillac CT6, itself a highly ambitious attempt to elevate the brand to higher levels of luxury and match the Germans in engineering sophistication. But the Cadillac CT6-V, powered by the Blackwing V8, is a rare bird, with just under 1,000 reportedly produced. One of them is up for sale on Cars & Bids.
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
The CT6 was introduced for the 2016 model year as a more upmarket sedan sitting above the CTS and ATS, and with modern technology to banish all memories of the retirement-community-special XTS. It was built on a new platform mixing steel and aluminum, which was designed from the start to accommodate the 34 speakers of the optional Bose Panaray audio system. The CT6 was also the first car to get GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving system, and while lower trim levels had pedestrian powertrains, a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 and a plug-in hybrid powertrain with Volt-derived components were on offer.
A 2019 facelift upped the ante with the Blackwing engine: a twin-turbo, 4.2-liter V8 designed to go up against the best from Germany. A detuned version was shoved into the CT6 Platinum trim level, while the CT6-V got a high-output version making 550 horsepower and 640 pound-feet of torque. The Blackwing engine was harnessed to a 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. By the time the Blackwing-powered models were ready to go on sale, GM was already preparing to cancel the CT6. Just 915 CT6-V and 285 CT6 Platinum models with the V8 were produced, as 2019 and 2020 models.
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
Cars & Bids
GM canceled the CT6 at a time when it was culling most of its sedans and hatchbacks to free up production capacity for more profitable SUVs and pickup trucks as the automaker prepared to invest heavily in electrification. But GM also ruled out using the Blackwing engine in other models. The complex engine was more expensive to produce and unique to Cadillac, unlike GM’s simpler small-block V8s. It probably didn’t help that the engine was a passion project of then-Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen, whose departure left it without a champion.
Cadillac eventually repurposed the Blackwing name for its industrial-strength performance models, but there will never be another V-Series model like the CT6-V. Showing 49,800 miles with some chips, scratches, and scuffs, this one can be yours for a fraction of its original price. The high bid was just under $25,000 at the time of writing.
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Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
