New CTS-V Sets new record @ The Ring.

[ar0ck]

Breaks 8-minute barrier - potentially the fastest documented lap time for a production sedan

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/05/ctsv_greenhell.jpg

In testing today at Germany's Nurburgring, Cadillac's upcoming new 2009 CTS-V completed a lap of the legendary Nordschleife in 7:59.32. This blistering time appears to be the fastest ever publicly documented for a production sedan.

Cadillac is nearing the completion of testing for the highly anticipated CTS-V, the limited-edition high-performance model based on the award-winning CTS sport sedan. John Heinricy, GM Performance Division executive and an acclaimed racing driver, piloted the CTS-V through its sub-8 minute lap. The car itself had no performance modifications outside of those planned for consumer production, which is scheduled to begin this fall.

Estimated at 550-hp, the CTS-V is at the moment going through the final stages of intensive testing and development. One of the realistic objectives of the Cadillac team is to make the CTS-V the world's fastest production sedan, as a part of the overall goal to make the V-Series Cadillac's ultimate expression of performance and technology. More updates will be released in the coming weeks as testing is finalized, including the car's certified SAE power ratings, acceleration specifications and U.S.-market pricing.

Video documentation of the car's breakthrough Nordschleife performance will be posted online in the coming days at http://cadillac.gmblogs.com

The eight-minute mark has long been recognized as a major Nurburgring milestone, reserved for race cars and the fastest exotic sports cars. While there's no single official repository for Nurburgring data from private test sessions, numerous reputable websites and publications report lap times from race teams, automakers and independent sources.

The new 2009 CTS-V includes a suite of advanced performance technologies, including a new version of Cadillac's acclaimed Magnetic Ride Control suspension and the LSA 6.2-liter Supercharged V8 engine. For the first time, CTS-V will include the choice of 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions, with the new automatic sporting steering wheel-mounted shift buttons.

http://www.cadillac.com/_res/i/footer/tmb/cadillac.jpg (http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=9&docid=45590)

Good lord :drool:

[1QWIKBIRD]

I'd take that over any version of the new Camaro, without hesitation.....

[Rich189]

ill take 2 please

[BillFromTR]

Pimp for sure!

[Knipps]

:hitit:

i'll take one in orange :drool:

[Tru2Chevy]

:drool: want to touch......

- Justin

[sweetbmxrider]

:drool:

[12secondv6]

Impressive..... but does it have a cage in it?

Last time I checked..... cages aren't stock??

[maroman88]

:drool: yea thats the bomb, look at that stance in that pic

[Teds89IROC]

:drool:

[Frosty]

BOING!!

[WildBillyT]

I talked about this to somebody at work today, who said they wouldn't ever drive a "Cadillac because that's the last car you buy before you die." Which was and is true.

Only years ago it was true because you bought a caddy when you were old and grey and then passed away while you owned it.

Now you buy one when you are younger and you kill yourself driving it LOL.

[qwikz28]

Impressive..... but does it have a cage in it?

Last time I checked..... cages aren't stock??

yeah but its pretty nice to know the drivers are well protected ;)

[Tru2Chevy]

Impressive..... but does it have a cage in it?

Last time I checked..... cages aren't stock??

I wonder if a complete showroom car will have the chassis stiffness to duplicate that time....

- Justin

[91DropTop]

sex on wheels!!

[ttpctsv]

As a v owner i think its damm sexy but i cant wait till i fab a supra rear in my v...then were going to germany lol

[BonzoHansen]

I'd take that over any version of the new Camaro, without hesitation.....

I agree.

[SteveR]

I wonder if a complete showroom car will have the chassis stiffness to duplicate that time....

- Justin

It'll be a bit lighter without the cage though

[Tru2Chevy]

It'll be a bit lighter without the cage though

Yea, but prolly only 50-70lbs lighter, compared to what *should* be a pretty large increase in chassis stiffness from having it in.

:shrugs: I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see.....

- Justin

[Ian]

its not a cage, its a roll bar. I don't see any down bars along the A pillar. that being said, its most likely just a 4 point par with a hoop behind the driver and some rear supports. its probably just for a safety harness and a camera mount.

[BigAls87Z28]

Its a roll bar for saftey incase of the worst.
Nurburgring isnt exactly a "beginers" track. Even the best can take thier last lap there.
Caddy and GMPD are talking up this car and the ZR1 big time.

[WildBillyT]

its not a cage, its a roll bar. I don't see any down bars along the A pillar.

That is a fight you are not going to win...

[Ian]

That is a fight you are not going to win...

I was under the impression that for it to be a "cage" it needed a halo. was I misinformed?

[12secondv6]

Roll cage or roll bar.... doesn't matter.... either of those items will increase handling capabilities.

I'm not knocking the time of the car...... but it should be done without a roll bar/ cage.... unless it will be in there from the factory ;)

I can say with confidence that they would not duplicate the chassis stiffness for a car with a cage/ bar vs. one without

[WildBillyT]

I was under the impression that for it to be a "cage" it needed a halo. was I misinformed?

Nope, you are right. But most people call anything a roll cage, even a 4-8 point bar. I was talking with a guy from S&W at Maple Grove last year and he said the most common thing he has to say to customers is "Are you sure you want a CAGE and not a BAR?"

[Ian]

ah okay, I thought I was right :)

and James, I dont know for a fact, but I can speculate that maybe they had to put the bar in to comply with some sort of rules for that race track or because of the abilities of the car itself. but like I siad, I dont know for sure, just guessing.

[BigAls87Z28]

Im pretty sure its done for saftey reasons.

[qwikz28]

and you guys are cruel for wanting them to do the lap without it :)

[BigAls87Z28]

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/il-insider-details-cadillac-cts-vs-run-around-ring-64400/#post1400806

SANTA MONICA, California — Confidential sources within GM and its contractors has filled in many details about John Heinricy's epic 7-minute, 59.2-second lap (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126290) of the Nürburgring's Nordschleife circuit in a production-spec 2009 Cadillac CTS-V (http://www.edmunds.com/il/cadillac/ctsv/index.html).

Yes, it's the automatic — Heinricy's run was made in a CTS-V equipped with the new six-speed automatic. More incredibly however, even though the new transmission is equipped with shift triggers on the steering wheel, Heinricy never once touches them during the run. "He's letting the computer do the shifting," one source told us. "It matches the right gears to the braking perfectly."

The manual isn't as fast — "The reason you see John wave at the beginning of the video," another anonymous source told us, "is because (ride and drive engineer) Aaron Link is right behind him in a manual-transmission CTS-V." Link, an excellent driver in his own right, simply couldn't keep up with Heinricy and throughout testing, the automatic has proven to be the hot setup for this car (http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/il-insider-details-cadillac-cts-vs-run-around-ring-64400/#). "There's video of Aaron's run, and he's incredibly busy" an insider told us. "Meanwhile, John barely moves."

The run was made from a flying start — Heinricy began his lap three corners behind the start/finish line. So he was already up to speed by the time the clock started.

The CTS-V is airborne at three points in the video — The 'Ring's notorious for flinging cars up in the air and it tried to send this Cadillac into orbit as well. However the active suspension incorporating the magnetic ride shocks has been tuned to deal with precisely such launches. Because he knew the car would leap flat, fly flat and land flat, Heinricy never had to lift once during the run. "Dave Mikels is the guy behind it," our source told us, "and he's done an absolutely amazing job."

There was a roll cage in the car — For safety's sake, as well as for an anchor point for the six-point safety harnesses, there was a four-point roll cage bolted into the car. However the cage was "loose fit" and didn't add any structural heft to the car. "We didn't want to change the car's balance at all," said our hush-hush source.

Stock tires — Heinricy's run was made on production-spec Michelin Pilot Sport 2s. However, the tires were heat-cycled and scrubbed the previous evening to ensure their performance (http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/il-insider-details-cadillac-cts-vs-run-around-ring-64400/#) the next day.

Cool of the morning — The run was made between 7 and 8 a.m. when GM could rent the track before it was open to the public for that day's usual mix of romping and roiling. The cool of the morning may have made the track a bit quicker, but it also meant there was no chance Heinricy would come over a berm and find a stalled tour bus in front of him.

Wet sump simplicity — While the CTS-V's engine is similar to the new Corvette ZR-1's (http://www.edmunds.com/il/chevrolet/corvette-zr1/index.html) in that it's a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, it's not the exact same engine. One of the big differences is that the ZR-1 runs a dry-sump oiling system, while the Cadillac uses a conventional wet-sump oiling system. "The CTS-V simply isn't capable of the lateral loads the Corvette (http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/il-insider-details-cadillac-cts-vs-run-around-ring-64400/#) can generate," the source explained. "It's heavier and has smaller tires."

Burnouts 'R Us — Unrelated to the run around the 'Ring, but good to know is that epic burnouts have been part of the new CTS-V's engineering all along. In both manual or automatic transmission modes it will be possible, said our confidante, "to annihilate the tires like John Force if you want."

Our source further reminds us that Heinricy's run was a nearly perfect one and it won't be easily duplicated simply because few people have Heinricy's talent or familiarity with the track. To those who were disappointed in the soundtrack accompanying the run, a source insists that these tapes are generated for engineering evaluation and not for marketing considerations. And, another of our sources promises, the new CTS-V sounds as awesome as it looks.

What this means to you: This time next year, for the first time ever, the world's premier performance sedan (http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f38/il-insider-details-cadillac-cts-vs-run-around-ring-64400/#) could be a Cadillac. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor

[BigAls87Z28]

and FYI....Heinricy is the same guy tuning the Camaro Z28.

[sweetbmxrider]

well thats some good info!