It would not be too much of a stretch to say that the new Cadillac CT5-V and CT4-V did not reach the heights most people expected when they were announced with such low horsepower ratings: 320 hp for the CT4-V and 335 hp for the CT5-V model. The good news is that the two vehicles were not meant to be direct replacements for the powerful CTS-V and ATS-V Cadillac models.

Cadillac has instead opted to put in place a two-tier strategy for the V-Series. This past June at the Grand Prix in Detroit, Cadillac teased the next-generation V models. The new versions boasted aggressive body kits, bigger tires, wheels, and brakes, and extra scoops and vents that appear to be meant for cooling.

The vehicles will potentially add the “Blackwing” title to their names. This would mean that instead of CT4-V and CT5-V, the cars will be CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing. To add to this, there are rumors that these Blackwing versions will be packing a surprise in terms of the engines they are going to be fitted with.

Next-gen V models to come with unexpected engines 

According to Jonny Lieberman, a journalist from MotorTrend, despite the vehicles using the Blackwing moniker, the Blackwing 4.2-liter LTA twin-turbo V8 engine will not be fitted into them.  On his page on Instagram on the 8th of July, Lieberman shared that Blackwing versions of the CT5-V will come fitted with the 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 engine that was previously in the CTS-V car.

While the CTS-V power output was 640 hp, he further added that this will be likely to increase to even as much as 670 hp. If that was not enough, there will also be the option of a manual transmission.

The CT4-V Blackwing will also not be left behind. The car is, however, expected to borrow the 3.6-liter LF4 twin-turbo V6 engine that powered the ATS-V car. Lieberman notes how disappointing this is since the LT1 6.2-liter V8 engine would have worked lovely for the car. The CT4-V Blackwing will also more than likely come inclusive of a manual transmission option.

Though all these are just rumors, for now, there have been previous speculations that the next level of V-Series vehicles will have carryover powertrains. However, if what Lieberman reported is true, and Cadillac opts against fitting the vehicles with the Blackwing V8, then it would mean the CT6-V, a car canceled in North America, will be the only for sale model carrying the hottest DOHC twin-turbo V8 version.

We are still not sure about when these next-level sedans will debut, but since the standard CT5-V and CT4-V have only been recently revealed, we expect Cadillac will be in no real hurry to put out the hopped-up sedans. And when the cars do eventually come out, Lieberman adds that despite reports made previously, the next-level CT5-V and CT4-V might not make use of the Blackwing moniker.

This claim, however, does not align with the reports released by Cadillac addressing the company’s future sedans. The report adds one further question, what is Cadillac planning to do with the Blackwing 4.2-liter V8? Aside from trademarking the logo, the company has stated on record that the Blackwing engine will not be fitted into any car outside Cadillac.

So far, contacts made to Cadillac regarding this claim have yielded no further information that would have otherwise helped to clear everything up. This is nothing new, however, since, on multiple occasions, car companies do not have comments on rumors regarding future releases. So, all we can do is wait and see what Cadillac has in store for us.