Of all the cars we're excited to see for the first time here in 2021, Cadillac's CT5-V Blackwing and CT4-V Blackwing sedans sit near the top of the list. While the names may be a bit hard to decipher for the layperson, their mission isn't: the Blackwing twins exist to reclaim American dominance in the sport sedan world (and, on an unspoken level, to go down as a spectacular last stand for internal combustion performance before the brand leads General Motors's charge into all-electric mobility).
After years of waiting to learn the secrets of these new Caddys, we're down to the final hours. Cadillac will reveal the details of the CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing on the evening of Monday, February 7th, in a presentation that'll be livestreamed online like everything else has been for the last 10 months. (You can watch that presentation here at the Cadillac website or on Cadillac's Twitter page starting at 7pm EST on 2/1.)
But eagle-eyed viewers of yesterday's Rolex 24 at Daytona race might have caught a shadowy sneak peek at Caddy's new performance cars in a commercial that aired for the first time during the Floridian endurance race. Shortly after, the brand dropped the image you see above, which gives us our first truly clear, unobscured glimpse of the new super-sedans.
As you can see, the CT4-V Blackwing (in red) and the CT5-V Blackwing (in white) aren't drastically different in appearance from their regular "V" relatives; both are still clearly recognizable as a CT4 and CT5, respectively, albeit dressed up with added aerodynamic elements on their front fasciae and trunks. Indeed, compared with the ATS-V and CTS-V that came before them, the Blackwings are almost understated in appearance.
How they measure up to those beloved V-Series models of half a decade back beneath the skin remains to be seen, of course. But if the rumors of similar powertrains outfitted with manual gearboxes (and, in the case of the CT5-V Blackwing, possible all-wheel-drive) are any indication, they could be a fitting final act for Cadillac's rip-roaring history of internal combustion beasts.
