Caddiwhack: Predator 800 HP twin-supercharged CTS-V
click image for high-res gallery
The Cadillac CTS-V is a fine sports sedan. Perhaps it's not our first choice when talk of Mega Millions wins come around, but we certainly wouldn't point and laugh at somebody who bought one. One of the complaints about the car is that several less expensive vehicles offer nearly as good or better performance at a lower price point (Chrysler 300C SRT-8, to name one), or that the cars GM identifies as real competition for the Caddy offer a much higher level of refinement and often better performance, albeit at twice the price in some cases (Think M3 and RS4 here). But the vehicle soldiers on, holding its head moderately high.
Owners who have one in their garages, however, know that there are things that can be done to enhance the driving experience to make the car even better. And when you are looking for upgrades, you might as well start by playing to your strengths. That big V8 under the hood is as good a place as any to begin the journey. As with many such projects, things can spiral out of control and you can end up with something like 800 hp if you're not careful. And that's exactly what happened when one aftermarket tuner, Predator Performance, was let loose on an unsuspecting Cadillac a couple of years ago in advance of SEMA. Follow the jump for the rest of the story.
[Source: Predator via GMInsideNews]
Gallery: Predator 2005 Cadillac CTS-V
Thanks to the folks at Predator Performance, we now have a Cadillac CTS-V that will embarrass just about any M, S, RS or AMG on the road. Heck, it would probably do a number on the CTS-V Jimmie Johnson is contesting in the Speed World Challenge Series, which is apropos because much of what has been done to this car comes from the racing world. Predator is known as a builder of lower series racecars, and so they approached this as a racecar build. Out went the stock engine and in its place went the Corvette C5R aluminum 427 block. But virtually every part was modified or replaced from there, all in anticipation of adding a pair of Procharger superchargers. The Predator team admits that they could have easily punched up more than 1,000 horsepower, but they wanted something usable.
When strapped to the dyno, the end result was 806 hp @ 6400 rpm, and 756 lb / ft torque @ 5100 rpm. A Specter Werkes Grand Am widebody kit, HRE 19 x 10.5 wheels, and Brembo Gold Series 8 piston calipers w/ 15 inch rotors up front and 4 piston 14.5 inch rotors in rear help complete the package. Sound like a race car? Well, of course it does. Even though the car is streetable and street legal, the Predator guys plan on taking the car to the track whenever they get the chance. Beautiful execution that makes this the domestic equivalent of that new C-Class DTM car that just popped up in Geneva.
DETAILS
427 cid 7.0-liter C5R race block
806 horsepower @ 6400 rpm
756 lb / ft torque @ 5100 rpm
AFR CNC heads w/ fast intake manifold
JE pistons w/ Lunati rods
Comp Cam hydraulic roller
Twin P-1SC Prochargers
Custom fabricated intercooler
Custom fabricated two pass radiator
Differential and transmission gears treated by Rockland Standard Gear co.
Custom differential, transmission, and supplemental engine coolers
Grand Am fender flares, rear spoiler, and heat extractor hood from Specter Works
HRE 19 x 10.5 wheels
285/35ZR19 and 305/30ZR19 Michelin tires
Brembo Gold Series 8 piston calipers w/ 15-inch rotors up front and 4 piston 14.5-inch rotors in rear
PREDATOR PERFORMANCE
2572 Oaklahoma-Salem Road
DuBois, PA 15801
Phone - 814-375-5660
Fax - 814-375-5370
E-mail - info@predatorperformance.com
Website - www.predatorperformance.com
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3cubedminus3squared 1:52PM (3/09/2007)
I'm probably in the minority here, but I think these CTSes actually look better than the new ones. I haven't seen the new ones in person so I'll just post-pone judgement for now.
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pd 2:07PM (3/09/2007)
Saw this featured in Modified exotic&luxury mag about 6 mo.ago,truly an absolute beast. Can't wait to see the new 2-DOOR CTS-V!
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Eric B 3:20PM (3/09/2007)
800hp through 305 rears?? I guess that's one way to waste 300hp...
But hey! You'll outgun most people from 150mph!! *sigh*
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Justin 2:39PM (3/09/2007)
except for that rear fender flare, pretty awesome!
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oren 2:54PM (3/09/2007)
Impressive!
http://www.montrealvip.com/montrealgrandprix.html
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Wojtek 2:57PM (3/09/2007)
Wait a minute.
This is a 7.0 litre TWIN SUPERCHARGED race smallblock with all the freakin' goodies that are available on the market today and it pushes out an awesome number of...
...115HP/litre?
You gotta be kiddin'me. Ever heard 'Brabus'? Ever heard 'AMG'? Ever heard, for God's sake, 'Honda'? I know all this 'american muscle', 'pushrods to victory' and other stories but please, c'mon... This wouldn't be an achievement if it was N/A, it's just plain funny when it comes out, it's (twin) supercharged...
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The other Bob 3:08PM (3/09/2007)
Wojtek:
"...115HP/litre?"
Why do we have to revisit the power/litre debate all the time?
It is an irrelevant measure. This engine is actually lighter and is smaller in packaging than an equivalent power OHC engine and has less moving parts too.
A more relevant measure would be power vs. mileage. These small blocks are excellent in the efficiency category too, so would be a fine measure. Another better measure would be power per pound of engine, which is actually relevant to acceleration.
The displacement is about as relevant as the color of the paint on the car.
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Wojtek 3:24PM (3/09/2007)
Bob,
you're right. This engine might last long. But as far as I'm concerned, this is a tuned vehicle, not a daily driver for a family of 12 that will not afford another car in coming 20 years.
The hp/litre ratio is quite enough to judge if the outcome of _tuning_ was brilliant, or just a bunch of parts thrown together. Every day I see a 170hp/litre Honda with 100k miles, still efficient and still reliable as new, and this is just a small, worthless piece of Japanese one-time-use-only machinery. It shouldn't be compared with such an American achievement, yet I somehow adore the ingenutiy of Honda engineers. They designed something durable enough to work with an American sledgehammer of a supercharger that we've fitted to this small thingy.
That's why 115hp/litre doesn't impress me at all. Creation of such an engine is a no-brainer. Squeezing something out of a teapot-sized engine - that's an effort to be proud of.
I cannot agree with "displacement is not important" statement. It is. If it wasn't, we'd have the WRC cars run V8's, and we don't. It's because you can pus a huge V8 to power quite easily. And with small displacement, you have to be really smart in order to do so...
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SgtHulka 3:40PM (3/09/2007)
It's a great day when 806 bhp is called "usable horsepower".
Is this a great country or what?
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Travis Ayres 5:21PM (3/09/2007)
Wojtek, did you not read the part in the article that went:
"The Predator team admits that they could have easily punched up more than 1,000 horsepower, but they wanted something usable." -?
hp/liter is totally irrelevant when not in a racing class with displacement limitations. Sorry, you fail.
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Lee Gibson 5:05PM (3/09/2007)
"Every day I see a 170hp/litre Honda with 100k miles, still efficient and still reliable as new, and this is just a small, worthless piece of Japanese one-time-use-only machinery."
I have absolutely no idea what this sentence means.
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Reggie 5:50PM (3/09/2007)
That thing would look real good cruisin' down main street Tijuana.
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stevo 8:14PM (3/09/2007)
Wojtek:
"But as far as I'm concerned, this is a tuned vehicle, not a daily driver for a family of 12 that will not afford another car in coming 20 years."
Thanks for pointing that out, but I think most of us knew that already.
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JimboNC 9:38PM (3/09/2007)
That Ford-ized Caddie looks just like what it is in front of the screwed-up architecture of the fake mansion with it's faux stone. Perfect combination of bad taste.
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NeoteriX 11:17PM (3/09/2007)
I get annoyed every time I see blacked out headlights. For the love of god, headlights are a SAFETY feature and should not be impeded by a superficial and aesthetic desire.
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Bob Z 11:30PM (3/09/2007)
I think your way off base in compaaring the CTS-V to a BMW M3 or S4. Have you driven them. I have. both the BMW and S4 are the size of a Subaru WRX and are clearly slower. The CTS-V is the size of the 5 series or A6/S6. Have you priced them. $30k of $40k more. The CTS-V handles as well or better as any of them on real roads. In the world of magizine hacks it is safe and confortable to praise german sport sedan and say other are close. Track performace ..where are the Audi/ BMW in SCCA GT racing. Parked or in the weeds. Read Winding Road for some onw who dares to be differnet. Times are changing. Catch up
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Huecifcer 2:22AM (3/10/2007)
For all the small-block chevy haters: Drive a small block car for awhile THEN tell me how awful the engine is. For real, they've been around for awhile beacuse they work so, so well.
Here's a life lesson: Drive the inexpensive four cylinder Honda's and such until you can afford an 8-cylinder GM. Once you've got the V8, drive it until you get so old you can't drive anymore, and your small-block has 400,000 miles on it.
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Toy Yoda 2:37AM (3/10/2007)
Pardon my ignorance, but what's the advantage of twin supercharging your car? As opposed to single supercharging your car? I can see the advantage when it comes to turbo, but supercharger? Please inform thanks.
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Jared 10:07AM (3/10/2007)
This article questions the level of refinement betweend a bmw and the caddy and then says there is not gap between the caddy and chrysler. Give me a break, what ignorant and irresponsible writing. What do you expect from a blog?
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Reno 10:07PM (3/10/2007)
I agree with Huecifcer. People always hate on the GM smallblock pushrods. It's funny to me,because I see alot of old Chevys,Oldsmobiles,Buicks, and Pontiacs on the road, cars that can easily be 20, 30, and hell, even 40 years old. How many 30 year old daily driven Mercedes Benz,BMW's,Ford,Chryslers,Audi's or any brand do you see still whipping corners. Even though I know Honda and a lot of other Japanese companies aren't that old,but me seeing theses old rust buckets still kicking says alot about a well-built reliable engine.
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