Where Cadillac Learned to Go Fast
The Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany has long served as a proving ground for high-performance vehicles, and Cadillac was no exception. General Motors recently revisited the early development work that led to the Cadillac CTS-V, the brand’s first purpose-built V-Series performance car.
Ken Morris, now GM’s senior vice president of product programs, recalled taking an early CTS prototype to the Nürburgring in the late 1990s with a clear objective: to engineer a car designed for the racetrack yet refined enough for everyday road use. Cadillac looked for a response to European rivals with established high-performance divisions, notably BMW and its celebrated M brand.
According to Morris, the development team logged roughly 600 laps around the Green Hell during the prototype phase. For perspective, a modern Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, producing 1,064 horsepower, lapped the 12.9-mile track in a record-setting 6:50.763. By comparison, the production CTS was powered by a 3.2-liter V6 making 220 horsepower, which illustrates just how demanding those 600 development laps must have been.
Fine-Tuning Beyond the Throttle
Acceleration, however, was only one aspect of the development; the team also worked on braking performance and steering precision. Building on data gathered from the CTS prototype during testing, the CTS-V received stiffer suspension components, larger brakes, high-performance tires mounted on 18-inch wheels, and a strengthened rear differential.
The team also developed the advanced four-mode stability-control system, which would later evolve into Performance Traction Management (PTM)—a technology now found in modern Cadillac V-Series models such as the CT5-V Blackwing.
“When you dial in a car on the Nürburgring, it makes the car feel so much better on the highway,” Morris said. “If you have to make an evasive maneuver, it can help make the car feel more planted.”
Cadillac launched the CTS on GM’s then-new Sigma platform in 2003, before introducing the performance-focused CTS-V a year later. The model was equipped with a 5.7-liter LS6 V8, but in 2006, the engine was replaced with a 6.0-liter LS2 V8 sourced from the newly released C6 Corvette.
“It was a great time because there was zero doubt about what the mission was, zero ambiguity about what we were trying to do, and it was really fun,” Morris said. “Fast forward to today, what V-Series models can achieve boggles my mind. It’s just gotten better and better as time goes on.”
The Next Chapter for Cadillac Performance
Today, the future of V-Series sedans remains uncertain. Cadillac has confirmed that the next-generation CT5 will retain an internal-combustion engine, reversing earlier plans to transition the model to an all-electric format. At the same time, the V-Series badge continues to expand into performance-oriented EVs, including the Optiq-V and Lyriq-V, placing the brand in a growing segment that includes models such as the Tesla Model Y Performance.
Beyond its road-going lineup, Cadillac is preparing to enter Formula 1 as the series’ 11th team beginning in the 2026 season, underscoring the brand’s performance ambitions.
