Cadillac Wants to Save the 550-hp Blackwing V8 Engine

By
Mitch Talley
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Cadillac Wants to Save the 550-hp Blackwing V-8 Engine

Photo Credit: Cadillac


Enthusiasts have been hearing about Cadillac’s 550-horsepower “Blackwing” engine for years.

After the twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8 made its debut in the one-and-out Cadillac CT6-V, fans of the motor have been left wondering where the engine might show up next. After all, why devote all the time and energy to producing such a monster of a motor for only one year?

Motor Trend recently talked with Cadillac’s Executive Chief Engineer Brandon Vivian, who made no bones about wanting to resurrect the Blackwing in another vehicle. “Would I relish the opportunity to put [the Blackwing] in something else? Yes,” he told the magazine.

While GM officials never speculate about future products (see Juechter, Tadge for proof of that), Vivian did admit to Motor Trend that they are searching for other ways to use the Blackwing.

Such usage would have to be the “right combination” of product and engine, with such a placement being the right call for “the segment it’s going to compete in,” the Cadillac leader said.

It’s been rumored that the Blackwing might show up in an upcoming Z06 version of the mid-engine Corvette, though Cadillac has long stressed that its turbo powerplant is intended strictly for its vehicles. Furthermore, the camo Corvette test vehicles recently seen by spies have been powered by what some believe to be the C8.R’s 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8, not a turbo. Rumor also has it that a ZR1 version of the C8 could be a hybrid V8.

Just a parting thought: Why not offer the Blackwing as an optional engine for the base C8? In the past, Corvettes were offered with multiple engine choices, so why is it written that only one engine can power each version of a modern Corvette? Doing that could make the Z06 less appealing, however.


Source:
chicagotribune.com

Related:
Cadillac Denies Rumors of Blackwing V8 Engine Heading to Italy
GM Hasn’t Tried Fitting the Cadillac Blackwing V8 into the C8 Corvette
Is the 2019 Corvette ZR1’s LT5 V8 Engine Really Going to Be a One and Done?

 



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10 COMMENTS

  2. Not sure what the Blackwing weighs compared to the LT2, but with the way the C8 puts power to the ground this comment by Motor Trend makes me think it would be great in the C8. “Cadillac tells us that at just 2,000 rpm, just above cruising speed, the Blackwing is producing 90 percent (576 lb-ft!) of its peak torque output”.

  3. Simple answer… Cost of additional engine for the production line and the cost of additional training for all who do the installs. I like the C8 original cost of $60k

  7. I think the Blackwing engines “hot V configuration” would work well in the C8 compartment with the ventilation up high on the rear deck. This engine would certainly need to be in a higher end model Z06 or engine option for a Grand Sport to recover its additional cost. I would love to go back to the Performance Build Center and build my own engine like I did in my 2017 Z06 which I plan on keeping, that Z06 and the LT4 are incredible!

    Engine Build LT4

  8. Cadillac needs a vehicle with a ICE in the BMW5 series class. Tha vehicle would be perfect for the blacking.

  9. Cadillac needs a vehicle with an ICE in the BMW 5 series class. That vehicle would be perfect for the blackwing.

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