© Michael SimariFor that extra bit of exclusivity.
The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the company's most powerful car yet, pumping out 668 horsepower from a 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V-8. According to the car's head engineer, each of the CT5-V's engines will be hand-built by one individual.
GM Authority spoke with Blackwing chief engineer Mirza Grebovic, who gave them the low-down on how LT4s destined for Blackwing engine bays will be assembled.
"Before, it was a higher-volume engine, but now it's a single builder that builds the whole engine, and when they're done, they'll use a plaque with his or her name," Grebovic told GM Authority in a recent interview."We machined a little spot on the supercharger lid where they can put it on. Every customer will be able to see who built their LT4 engine."
Since the CT5-V Blackwing is such a low-volume car, having a small number of people build 250 engines by hand is likely more cost-effective than taking up an entire assembly line. According to GM Authority, the Blackwing LT4s will be constructed at the Performance Build Center GM's Bowling Green campus in Kentucky, just like the Corvette.
Having one person build an entire engine isn't something new. Mercedes-AMG famously uses its"One man, one engine"assembly philosophy for all of its high-performance powertrains. Every factory-built AMG has a plaque with the engine builder's signature on it.