Owners who choose to buy a CT4-V or CT5-V Blackwing with the manual transmission are treated to a few extra hidden design surprises that 10-speed auto buyers don’t get. These are just some of more than two dozen easter eggs hidden throughout the car, though, that Cadillac says are proof of the attention to detail it gave to these swansong cars.
Maps of General Motor’s testing and technical centers in Milford and Warren, Michigan, are printed on the panels that cover the hole where the paddle shifters would go in the automatic version. These pay homage to the legendary location where the two Blackwing models, along with countless other high-performance GM vehicles, were tested and developed.
“The CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing are the quintessential examples of form and function coming together,” said Brandon Vivian, executive chief engineer, Cadillac. “This was made possible by Engineering and Design working together from the very beginning to get the most out of these cars. The paddle shifter covers symbolize that union, with the customer at the center of it all.”
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These are among the hidden visual references to the V-Series brand and Cadillac’s racing heritage that grace the interior and exterior of the cars. Some are obvious, like the Mondrian pattern that is incorporated into the manual shift knob or the Blackwing emblem in a pocket of the 19-inch Tech Bronze wheels.
Ready For The Hunt?
Some, however, are more hidden. Under the wing on, on the air strakes of vehicles fitted with the Carbon Fiber 1 package, there is another Mondrian pattern. Other easter eggs, though, Cadillac says it will never reveal because it wants to give owners the joy of discovery.
Additionally, the first 250 production builds of each vehicle are considered Collector Series vehicles and are commemorated by the people who built them with two special collector plates on the sills featuring the signature of someone on the Cadillac V-Series team. Each hand-built supercharged V8 produced for the CT5-V Blackwing will have the signature of the master builder.
“The V-Series Blackwings are all about connecting with drivers in ways that go beyond the numbers they can produce on a track,” said Vivian. “It’s an involving experience, with unprecedented attention to detail in all areas of performance and design.”