2024 Cadillac Celestiq First Look: A $300,000 Handmade Tale

mercedes-benz c-class Full OverviewProsMore refined powertrain, feels expensive, long driving range.  ConsTransmission could be smoother, pricey, enormous key fob. Quick, but What About BMW, Audi, and Tesla?Braking and Figure-Eight PerformanceBut Why Is It so Expensive?Looks good! More details?2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4Matic Specifications BASE PRICE $46,600 PRICE AS TESTED $62,970 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 2.0L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus electric motor POWER (SAE NET) 255 hp @ 5,800 rpm (gas), 20 hp (elec), 255 hp (comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 295 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm (gas), 148 lb-ft (elec), 295 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,014 lb (53/47%) WHEELBASE 112.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 187.0 x 71.7 x 56.6 in 0-60 MPH 5.5 sec QUARTER MILE 14.2 sec @ 96.8 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 112 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.90 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.3 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/33/27 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 470 miles ON SALE Now Show All

ProsSupercharged power wallopFantastic chassis controlExcellent six-speed manual transmission ConsComplicated performance modesFeels big at timesVery thirstyThere's a scene in the movie Mad Max where Max gazes upon a blown V-8, whining and roaring in the engine bay of a Pursuit Special as the mechanic maniacally exclaims: "It's the last of the V-8s!" We couldn't help but replay that clip in our minds as we hammered the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing around the Hyundai Proving Ground and later as a finalist on Angeles Crest Highway and the Streets of Willow circuit. We're not in some distant dystopian future, yet here is the last of Cadillac's supercharged V-8 superheroes, a stupendous, 668-hp sendoff to the marque's high-performance V-series cars."What a shame Cadillac is going to stop making monstrous supercharged track machines like this," senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said. "Because it just feels so good to drive. So, let's call the big Blackwing bittersweet. As well as awesome!"The rest of the judges were as effusive in their praise, lathering love on the CT5-V Blackwing for its composed chassis—thanks in part to GM's excellent magnetic ride control—and its exceptional, stout brakes. (Our test car had the $9,000 carbon-ceramics.) And we can't forget the six-speed manual transmission and its no-lift shift feature; the gearbox garnered plenty of judge fan mail (and more all-caps exclamations) and is a novelty on a performance sedan these days."Great manual transmission," features editor Christian Seabaugh said. "It's one of the best ones here. Short, precise throws with just enough assist to ensure you never miss your gate, but not enough to make the shifter feel springy. Good clutch feel, well-spaced pedals."Although it's on the heavy side at 4,067 pounds, the CT5-V Blackwing still lays down some impressive performance numbers. It rumbles to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and on to a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds at 127.5 mph, and it reels itself in from 60 mph in 102 feet."Power, power, power, power, and a boatload of torque, too," Lieberman said. "I barely needed to shift gears on the Crest, as a tsunami of torque [659 lb-ft] was flooding the joint. You quickly notice this is a large family sedan with a massive rear seat. That said, the suspension does its part, and the body control is surprisingly solid."Indeed, it was hard to find any real flaws with the CT5-V from a performance vehicle perspective. A few judges thought the car felt big at times on Streets, but only in the context that it would have fit better on a larger track where you could take more advantage of its prodigious power. That, and editorial boss man Ed Loh wasn't enamored with what he considered the car's over-configurability. "Like BMW, all the modes are entirely too complicated to navigate. It's dumb to be left wondering if, among the many combinations, you're in the right mode for the conditions," Loh said. Oh, and it also flat-out swills gas.After our evaluation, however, there was zero question the Blackwing's capabilities are immense, the result of two decades' worth of honing and harnessing a front-engine, rear-drive super sedan formula. Max would no doubt approve.And although it's a drag that this Caddy is the last of the supercharged V-8s, the fact the CT5-V is so good it finished third in the inaugural Performance Vehicle of the Year bodes well for Cadillac's high-performance future—electrified though it may be.2022 Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing Specifications Base Price/As tested $84,990/$112,545 Power (SAE net) 668 hp @ 6,500 rpm Torque (SAE net) 659 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm Accel, 0-60 mph 3.6 sec Quarter-mile 11.5 sec @ 127.5 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 102 ft Lateral Acceleration 1.04 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 23.4 sec @ 0.89 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb 13/21/15 mpg Vehicle Layout Front-engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine, Transmission 6.2L Supercharged direct-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8, 6-speed manual Curb Weight (F/R DIST) 4,067 lb (54/46%) Wheelbase 116.0 in Length x Width x Height 194.9 x 74.1 x 56.5 in On Sale Now Show All

The dance we do as hot-rodders typically goes like this: We find a classic car, strip it down to the bare body, and then rebuild it to suit our own, often modernized vision. With a pro touring- or restomod-type build, that includes adding a high-power modern EFI engine, modern brakes (often with ABS on the nicer builds), and amenities like air conditioning and a rockin' audio system. In essence, the classic lines of the old body are kept, and the newest performance and cruising technology is grafted to it. It's time-consuming and expensive, but it gives us the look we want along with modern performance.But what if you did it the other way around? This would be where you took a modern performance car and added body panels to replicate the classic lines. This isn't a new idea, but to be honest we haven't loved the results in the past. The problem is that modern cars have modern dimensions and structures that don't always play nice with the lines of our classics. This is especially true around the windshield and A-pillars. For example, we remember a company that was trying to make a C5 Corvette look like a vintage C2 'Vette, but the windshield area just killed it since the C5's A-pillars were way too swept back for aerodynamics. It just looked wrong. We had yet to see one of these retrofied modern muscle cars done where the proportions were right, or at least close enough to still look good.That was until we spied the builds from eXoMod Creations. It was their C68 CARBON build (a clever code for 1968 Charger) and it actually looked like a vintage Dodge Charger! Now, we're not saying it's an exact copy, but it certainly captures the soul of a '68-'70 Charger that's been given a 21st-Century makeover. You get all the modern performance and tech of a new Dodge Hellcat (707 hp) or even a Hellcat Redeye (807 hp) with the vintage vibe of its '60s-era ancestor. They are also currently offering the C69 CARBON, which is reskinned in carbon fiber to look like a 1969 Charger.eXoMod Creations owes a thank you to Dodge for making this possible. You see, the C68 CARBON Charger is exactly the same length as a bone-stock 1968 Charger. It also has the exact same wheelbase! Add in that the windshield rake isn't nearly as extreme as some cars, such as Camaros and Corvettes, and you end up with proportions that are close enough to work. One area that changes, though, is the car's width, since the eXoMod C68 CARBON is a true widebody. This is done with the quarter-panels and fenders instead of the fender flares used on a modern widebody Dodge. The result of all this body-swap voodoo is a modern Dodge Hellcat that has the look of a vintage Charger, with the right proportions so that your eye doesn't dismiss it all as some sort of bait-and-switch deal.As they said in that old Ginsu knife infomercial, "But wait—there's more!" You see, the new vintage-shaped body panels aren't stamped-steel, they're carbon-fiber. This means the new retro-modern Mopar is 400 pounds lighter than a factory Hellcat Challenger! The weight loss is akin to free horsepower for an already stupid-fast car. Oh, and the body panel swap retains Dodge's powertrain warranty.The interior of the eXoMod cars stays pretty stock with the exception of better, Italian leather for the seats. All the high-tech options found on a new Hellcat are still there, so you have heated and cooled seats, launch control, and safety stuff like airbags and backup sensors.eXoMod isn't stopping with Chargers. Other classic Mopars are getting the reskinned-in-carbon treatment as well. The D71 is styled after the 1971 Dodge Demon, and we have to say the rendering looks kickass. This ride, limited to just 25 vehicles, should be done around the summer of 2023. Like all the eXoMod cars there are tons of color, wheel, and trim options.Want something wilder? How about a Hellcat reskinned to look like a 1969 Charger Daytona? Yep, big nose, big carbon-fiber wing, and tons of attitude. They are currently building this Daytona and hope to have it on display at November's MCACN event in Chicago. All the eXoMod conversions roll on high-end Forgeline wheels. Even these rollers, which look like vintage steelies, are in fact 20-inch billet Forgeline wheels!Now this isn't an inexpensive proposition, but what is these days? Consider the cost of taking a 1968 Charger and building it into everything the 2022 Hellcat is. All the comfort, all the power, all the modern suspension parts, flush-mounted glass, and latest technology. A build like that would be hundreds of thousands and take an eternity to get done. eXoMod can convert your existing Challenger (all the way back to a 2011 R/T model year) for $275K and have it built, painted, and on the road in around 8 weeks! They also sell complete cars, customized to your tastes, starting at $400K for the 707-hp Hellcat or $450K for the 807-hp Redeye!For us mere mortals, nearly half a million bucks falls into fantasy land, but you could easily spend that much, and more than likely more, adding all the Hellcat guts and carbon fiber to a vintage Mopar, and still not end up with a car capable of reliably making cross-country drives. This car drives like a new Hellcat because, in essence, it is a new Hellcat. In short, this is just another way to skin the proverbial feline; a way to get those classic-car lines we love along with the modern kickass performance we've become accustomed to. To window-shop or place an order, click on over to www.exomodcarbon.com. If you're at the 2022 SEMA show in Vegas, look for booth 24995 in the Hot Rod Alley, where a new purple car that's just being finished up will be on display.Watch! Roadkill's General Mayhem Gets UpgradedIs the '68 Dodge Charger the "best car" like David Freiburger says? Maybe, but the General Mayhem is definitely one of the most iconic Roadkill cars. Watch as Roadkill Garage hosts Freiburger and Steve Dulcich give it tons of body upgrades and engine-saving modifications before hitting the road for proper break-in procedures—aka burnouts! Sign up for a tree trial to MotorTrend+ and start watching every episode of Roadkill Garage today! Video created by Little Dot Studios.