March 2004
Cadillac CTS V-Series: the most powerful production car in Cadillac history
High-performance luxury sport sedan fitted with 5.7 liter 400 hp V8 engine
GENEVA – The Cadillac CTS V-Series makes its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Cadillac CTS, a dynamic luxury sedan with a bold and distinctive chiseled form, the V-Series combines a 5.7 liter 400 horsepower V8 engine with an agile rear-wheel drive chassis honed on the world's most renowned racing circuits, including the fearsome Nürburgring in Germany. It is designed and engineered to the desires of luxury sedan driving enthusiasts, either on the road or the track.
The CTS V-Series marks Cadillac's ambitious entry into the low-volume, high-performance luxury car niche. It is based upon GM's new rear-wheel-drive Sigma architecture which is also the foundation for both the mainstream CTS sedan and soon-to-be-released SRX luxury utility vehicle. This is combined with a revised LS6 5.7 liter 400 horsepower V8 engine mated to a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission. The car is engineered with near 50/50 weight distribution and reaches 96 km/h from stand-still in an estimated 4.7 seconds.
The V-Series is the most powerful production car in the history of Cadillac. The V-Series logo both reminds of Cadillac's rich heritage as a pioneer in V-engine technology and conveys a dynamic automobile, engineered and refined to more than hold its own with some of the industry's most renowned high-performance luxury sport vehicles, including BMW M-Sport, Audi S-series and Mercedes-Benz AMG.
Distinctive styling
The distinctive exterior of the luxury sport sedan has been revised from its siblings with larger front and rear fascias and rockers, seven-spoke 18-inch flangeless wheels, wire-mesh upper grille and lower front air intake and badging that incorporates the V-series emblem. The dual exhaust features investment cast twin tailpipes, a process used in the manufacture of high-end golf clubs. The interior incorporates suede seat inserts, accent stitching throughout; satin chrome and aluminium accents and an instrument cluster with two Driver Information Center (DIC) readouts controlled by steering wheel mounted switches.
The CTS V-Series is the first vehicle to be engineered and produced by General Motors's recently established Performance Division, an in-house center designed to explore enthusiast-oriented versions of production models. It will also form the basis of Cadillac's return to motor racing, in the 2004 SCCA Speed World Challenge, the highly competitive North American racing series for production based cars. The CTS V is being produced at GM's Lansing Grand River assembly center, the manufacturing site for both the mainstream CTS and new SRX luxury utility vehicle.
Powertrain
The Cadillac CTS V is powered by GM Powertrain's celebrated 5.7 liter, overhead valve (OHV) LS6 V8 engine. The two-valves-per-cylinder powerplant will deliver approximately 400 hp at 6000 rpm and 529 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. The engine - a variant of what is found on the Corvette ZO6 - will be mated with a six-speed manual Tremec T56 (M12) transmission. The LS6 V8 provides the CTS V with successful, racetrack-proven performance and outstanding reliability/durability, as well as smooth, quiet operation. Its lightweight all-aluminium construction, including cylinder heads and blocks, provide an excellent power-to-weight ratio and good chassis balance.
Available in two exterior colors, Light Platinum and Black Raven, the distinctive exterior styling refinements of the Cadillac CTS V are all geared toward contributing to the vehicle's dynamics. From the front, the CTS V is immediately discernable from its mainstream sibling by its stainless steel wire mesh grille. The grille incorporates a diamond-shape pattern with the Cadillac crest mounted prominently in its center.
New front fascia
The front of the vehicle incorporates an integrated aero splitter design, extending the front overhang approximately 30 mm compared with other CTS models. An entirely new front fascia incorporates a significantly larger lower air intake distinguished by a diamond-patterned stainless steel wire mesh grate that matches the upper grille. The lower air intake is dynamically sized to ensure proper engine cooling and breathing. The fascia is lowered approximately 40 mm and incorporates dual brake cooling ducts directly below the integrated fog lamps positioned on the outward edges of the fascia. The brake ducts directly channel air for cooling the CTS V's Brembo discs and callipers.
The color-matched two-piece rocker panels beneath the doors are 40 mm lower than the CTS and are integrated with a sill plate embedded with an aluminium V-series identification, that wraps over the driver and passenger thresholds. In addition, the rockers are molded into a compound flange sweep shape, bringing more character, sharper lines and a lower outward appearance. The all-new rear fascia is exterior color-matched and – like the front fascia and rockers – is lowered 40 mm when compared to the CTS. Two parallel feature lines are molded into the fascia and are located directly above integrated cut-outs for the dual, investment cast, stainless steel, oval-shaped exhaust tips.
The 18 x 8.5-inch painted aluminium alloy wheels have a narrow seven-spoke design that provides clear view to the CTS V's large Brembo discs and calipers at all four corners, and a flangeless design results in an even larger wheel appearance. The wheels are fitted with Goodyear P245/45WR18 EMT tires. A tire pressure monitoring system functions via a sensor in the valve stem.
Interior refinements
While the interior dimensions on the CTS V are similar to its mainstream sibling, all wood accents have been removed resulting in a more performance-oriented environment. The grab handles, door handles, and shifter ring cap have a satin chrome finish, matched by light grey accent stitching on the seats, armrest, and steering wheel. Two interior colors – Ebony and Light Neutral – will be available.
Performance-oriented refinements include a completely new instrument cluster, trimmed with satin chrome rings around each gauge. Aircraft style, white on black lettering is used on the gauges for increased legibility and the speedometer reads up to 280 km/h. The V-series emblem is prominently displayed in the cluster, while the instrument panel clock has been replaced with an analogue temperature gauge.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Two Driver Information Center (DIC) readouts located one each in the lower portion of the tachometer and speedometer – can be quickly accessed and scrolled via switches located on the steering wheel. The left DIC (tachometer located and accessed by switches on the left side of the steering wheel) displays performance-orientated information including peak and momentary lateral acceleration; oil, transmission and coolant temperatures; and oil and tire pressure. The right DIC indicates odometer, digital speedometer and gear selection information.
The steering wheel on the CTS V is leather wrapped and incorporates a real aluminium bezel. In addition to the DIC toggle switches, the steering wheel is also equipped with an interface for cruise control. The seats on the CTS V are fitted with ebony Milliken suede inserts, which accent the vehicle's ebony interior and better hold the driver and passengers in place during high-performance driving manoeuvres. Driver and front passenger seats also include adjustable lumbar support.
To accommodate the six-speed manual transmission, the center armrest has been repositioned to prevent it impeding gear changes. The armrest has been lowered more than 4 inches, moved rearward and shortened - refinements that demonstrates the CTS V is truly engineered and designed with the driver in mind.
Chassis refinements
GM Performance Division engineers implemented a series of high-performance refinements to the vehicle's chassis system. The CTS V's front and rear suspension and cradles are revised and tuned to handle the high horsepower and torque delivered by the LS6 engine. The cradles are hydroformed with a thicker gauge steel. In addition, high-stress areas - located using math-based finite element analysis (FEA) - are reinforced with a series of surgically located, welded-in-place steel gussets and a tower-to-tower cross car brace brings enhanced cross-vehicle stability.
The front and rear stabilizer bars are increased in size and spring rates were increased approximately 27% for the V-Series. The diameter of the monotube shocks was increased from 36 to 46 mm and valving refined to the vehicle's high-performance characteristics, while the rear suspension uses Nivomat shock absorbers, which adapt automatically to different loads and road conditions. The incorporation of a nine-land steering gear (lands are the tuning elements/valves within the steering gear – a six-land steering gear is used on the mainstream CTS) enables more precise steering tuning. The result is more accurate on-center feel and responsiveness.
World-class Brembo brake system
The CTS V is equipped with a Nürburgring-tuned Brembo brake system that is considered world-class and unmatched in the high-performance luxury vehicle niche. The vented, cast-iron rotors measuring 355 x 32 mm at the front and 365 x 28 mm at the rear, feature huge four-piston calipers at all four corners.
The four-channel StabiliTrak chassis control system has been recalibrated for the vehicle's increase in horsepower and torque and provides enhanced stability control. In addition, the system enables the driver to select from four modes ranging from full traction and stability control, to traction control off and stability control on, and both features switched off. The system also offers the option of a competition mode, which provides a "less governed" level of stability control, when it will only engage the stability control in situations of extreme oversteer or extreme acceleration.
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