Why Did Cadillac Discontinue The Blackwing V8 Engine?

The Cadillac Blackwing V8 engine had a short but illustrious history and sat beneath the hood of one of the highest horsepower Cadillacs ever made. It was conceived when the former head of Audi, Johan de Nysschen, had been put in charge of Cadillac. De Nysschen was tasked with returning this storied but long-neglected brand to its former status as "Standard of the World," elevating the brand to the level of its German competitors — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. The Blackwing V8 engine was a key part of Cadillac's planned return to autobahn-inspired greatness — until it wasn't. 

After investing $16 million in the Blackwing V8's development, Cadillac unceremoniously dropped this incredible high-performance engine, with its output of up to 550 horsepower. The reasons had to do with its high production cost and limited number of applications, but much more than that was going on. Sedan sales were dropping and SUV sales were booming, which made the outlook dim for full-size, high-end Cadillac sedans like the CT6-V that used the Blackwing V8. A matching SUV on the same Omega platform as the CT6 was planned but never produced, severely limiting any additional placements for the Blackwing V8. 

Additionally, the electric vehicle age was fast approaching, and Cadillac planned to latch onto it. Using the flexibility of GM's Ultium platform, Cadillac would now be an EV trendsetter, announcing that all future vehicles would be electric. Caddy would also challenge the exotic, coachbuilt brands at the top with its $340,000 Celestiq EV.  

The 4.2L Cadillac Blackwing V8 was an all-new design, not based on any GM or Cadillac engine that had come before it. It featured four valves per cylinder, double overhead cams, and twin turbochargers placed between the cylinder banks in a "hot-vee" setup. Producing as much as 131 horsepower per liter, the Blackwing V8 was a truly advanced internal combustion engine.

There is an important (and confusing) terminology issue that should be cleared up at this point. The Blackwing V8 engine referred to here, also known as the LTA, was used in two models of the full-size, all-wheel drive 2016-2020 CT6 during the 2019 and 2020 model years. These were the CT6 Platinum (with 500-hp rating) and the CT6-V (with 550-hp rating). A total of 800 Blackwing V8s were produced and installed in Cadillacs during these two model years, making them very rare indeed. The cost of each Blackwing V8 engine has been estimated at $20,000.

These 2019 and 2020 Blackwing V8s should not be confused with the high-performance models of the compact CT4 and mid-size CT5 that succeeded the CT6. These cars are also called Blackwing, but they do not have the actual Blackwing V8 engine under their hoods. The CT4-V Blackwing has a 3.6L twin-turbo V6 producing 472 horsepower, while the CT5-V Blackwing has a 6.2L supercharged V8 with an output of 668 horsepower. The CT4/CT5 Blackwings have rear-wheel drive and offer a manual transmission option. 

It's highly unlikely that another engine like the Blackwing V8 will ever grace a Cadillac with an internal combustion engine. Current fuel economy standards favor the use of four- and six-cylinder engines over V8s in general, while the never-ending mania over reducing cars' costs against sophisticated, uber-expensive engines like the Blackwing V8. 

General Motors lost a lot of money on this excellent but low-production showcase of technology, but at least there are 800 lucky Cadillac owners who got to experience what may be the pinnacle of American internal combustion engine development. There was a report of a possible deal to sell the Blackwing engine to Manifattura Automobili Torino, an Italian contract manufacturer of exotic and specialty cars, for use in an unspecified vehicle, but it never happened.

The 2019 and 2020 Cadillacs with Blackwing engines were outstanding full-size high-performance vehicles. We may never see their like again.