Each Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing LT4 engine will be assembled by a single builder

When Cadillac announced the no-holds-barred CT5-V Blackwing, we were naturally stoked at the prospect of a 668-hp V-8 sport sedan with a six-speed stick. At the same time, the long-awaited Blackwing feels almost like a deliberate coda marking Cadillac’s transition to an all-EV portfolio. Even if it turns out that the righteous supercharged LT4 may not be around for years to come, the engine’s individual builders in Bowling Green, Kentucky will be fondly remembered by their owners via an honorary plaque under the hood.

According to a report from GM Authority, each LT4 engine will be hand-built by a single engineer in the Performance Build Center (PBC) at GM’s Bowling Green, Kentucky plant, home of the C8 Corvette. The PBC was responsible for the LT4s that went into the C7 Z06 and it’s CTS-V cousin, but during those times, the engines were built on a traditional assembly line. Now that the pushrod screamer is only used in the CT5-V Blackwing and the Camaro ZL1, GM has opted once more for a one-builder-one-engine, reminiscent of the Mercedes-AMG’s tradition in Affalterbach. In the past GM offered this same program for the Corvette Z06, going as far as letting customers visit the PBC and meet with the builder overseeing their engine’s construction.

We’re (to put it mildly) thrilled about the Blackwing variants of the CT4-V and CT5-V. Their ancestors, the ATS-V and the CTS-V, respectively, offered genuinely world-beating driving experiences. We expect much of the same here with these two super sedans, given the promising components on tap. Both cars are built on GM’s venerable rear-drive Alpha platform.

Regardless of how long these explosive performance cars will be with us, we’re delighted they’re coming to production at all. The fact that the CT5-V Blackwing comes with that little extra touch of personalization and connection to the talented constructors at the PBC is just icing on a very special 6.2-liter cake.