Home » Here’s Why Cadillac’s New Twin Turbo V8 Engine Is Called Blackwing

Here’s Why Cadillac’s New Twin Turbo V8 Engine Is Called Blackwing

Here’s Why Cadillac’s New Twin Turbo V8 Engine Is Called Blackwing

Cadillac’s all-new, twin-turbo V8 engine is assigned production code LTA and is branded as Blackwing. That much we already new. What we didn’t know is the origin of the Blackwing name, until now.

As it turns out, the Blackwing name comes from the merlette, the black bird that adorns the original Cadillac emblem.

1908 Cadillac Logo

1920 Cadillac Logo

In the 2019 Cadillac CT6-V, which was initially introduced as the CT6 V-Sport and renamed to CT6-V months later, the new 4.2L Twin-Turbo V8 Blackwing makes an estimated 550 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The engine also represents Cadillac’s first Dual OverHead Cam (DOHC) V8 engine design since the Northstar V8.

Each Blackwing Twin Turbo V8 engine is a work of art. That’s because it is handcrafted by a single person in Bowling Green, Kentucky. And much like an artist completes their masterpiece with a signature, each technician signs their Blackwing engine once it’s complete.

So, there you have it: now we know exactly why Cadillac’s new 4.2L Twin-Turbo V8 is called Blackwing. Keep that in your head for some friendly trivia at a cocktail party.

Written by
Alex is the founder of Cadillac Society. He has a deep passion for automotive business strategy and enjoys driving his ATS sedan on twisty mountain roads.

6 Comments

  1. Sorry, but where is your source.
    Or this a classic correlation does not intend causation.

    Reply
    • Cadillac is the source.

      This is what we do: ask, prod, and follow up… all in order to deliver the information such as this.

      Reply
      • Nice to know. I saw a video where the V8 engines for the Corvettes were handmade. and a source mentions that for an extra cost, the buyer can help assemble the V8 engine of his/her own vehicle.

        Reply
  2. Twin turbochargers is nice, but I hope they are reliable,. My wife had a Volvo 850 and its turbocharger got stuck, choking the four cylinder engine. It move sluggishly until we left it at the dealer. The trouble was a stuck or frozen turbine. I believe modern turbocharged engines must have a bypass input valve to allow normal driving if the turbine was stuck.

    Reply
  3. I have CTS VSport with twin turbos. The performance is incredible. The new “hot v design for the v8 is supposedly much better.

    Reply
  4. Now that production at the Grand River plant is to resume on 5/3/21 will Cadillac resume accepting orders for new CT5’s, or will they only produce already accepted orders?

    Reply

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