In case you want one other reminder of simply how loopy issues are proper now, contemplate this. You may’t get a handbook transmission on autos just like the Chevrolet Corvette, Toyota Supra, or Mustang Shelby GT500. However in 2021, you possibly can have one in … a Cadillac? The high-performance Blackwing variations of the CT4-V and CT5-V will provide a handbook possibility, full with three pedals and a lever to swap cogs. And Cadillac swears they’re going to be higher gearboxes.
In a press launch earlier this month, the posh automaker shared some details about 3D printing and the handbook choices for its forthcoming Blackwing fashions. That included a single sentence stating the six-speed transmission can be quieter and extra sturdy, however Cadillac’s assertion was very open-ended and lacked context. Presumably, the gearbox can be quieter and extra sturdy than the Tremec six-speeds utilized in previous-generation ATS-V and CTS-V fashions.
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The brand new Blackwing machines will even use Tremec-sourced containers, however in line with Cadillac Society, a higher-flow fluid pump and additional isolation on transmission traces will make these higher fitted to luxury-sedan use. Tremec transmissions have lengthy been utilized in a spread of hardcore efficiency machines such because the Dodge Viper and previous-generation Shelby GT500, and whereas they get the job finished, slick-shifting refinement hasn’t at all times been a notable Tremec attribute. Not dangerous by any means, however not butter, both.
Whether or not Cadillac’s tweaks make a noticable distinction stays to be seen, however such considerations are probably small potatoes for row-your-own fans. Previous-school handbook transmission choices are very scarce nowadays in high-performance purposes, with producers more and more crossing over to dual-clutch gearboxes with computerized or paddle-shift handbook modes. Who may have predicted {that a} savior for the save the manuals crowd would come from Cadillac? That is very true after the near-immediate killing of the CT6-V and its Blackwing V8, to not point out the awkward rollout of the CT4-V and CT5-V.
The range-topping Blackwing variants of each sedans – with non-compulsory handbook transmissions – will lastly debut in the summertime of 2021.
