It’s time to stock up on tires and transmissions.
The 2018 Cadillac CTSV is an uncompromising performance sedan. Jeff Perez was able to spend some time with Caddy’s running back and his exact words were: ” If ever there was an invitation for Hennessey’s insane HPE1000CTS-V, it is this.”
The video below shows that Hennessey’s tuned Cadillac is loaded with on-demand horsepower. The company claims that total power is right at 1,000 horsepower (746 kilowatts), and that the engine has a baffling 966 pound-feet (1.310 Newton-meters), of twist. This is more torque than you get in a one-ton 2018 RAM 3500 diesel pickup. It’s also nestled between the fenders a freaking Cadillac sedan. Yes, we do live in a mad world.
Hennessey claims that the HPE1000 CTSV-V can reach 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and that it can turn quarter-miles in 10.5 seconds at 135 miles per hour. This is insanely fast no matter what you do. Hennessey has stuffed all sorts of high-performance parts into the Caddy’s supercharged, 6.2-liter V8. It even comes with a 2-year warranty.
It is concerning that there is no mention of transmission and suspension upgrades. Hennessey does mention an automatic transmission upgrade is required. However, our experience with CTS-V suggests that the stock suspension may be acceptable. A more powerful transmission may not be included in the standard package. HPE1000-seekers might consider adding some cash to their budget. It’s probably a smart idea to also stock up on tires, as we can see from the short video.
We will be open with you, we don’t know how many people will want a 1,000-hp Cadillac. The world of ultra-high-powered land missiles is expanding rapidly. While the Caddy’s sinister design is impressive, we can think up better packages that would be able to provide such tire shredding capabilities. This monster is still cool, and it’s a sleeper.