Cadillac CTS-V ‘sets saloon Nurburgring record’

By Tim Pollard

Motor Industry

12 May 2008 10:31

Cadillac’s new CTS-V has set a new production saloon lap record at the Nurburgring, the company claims. It reports the 2009 CTS-V lapped the 13-and-a-bit mile circuit in an impressive 7min 59.32sec.

‘This blistering time appears to be the fastest ever publicly documented for a production sedan,’ says a breathless press release. And according to the records we’ve researched, they appear to be correct, although a Subaru Impreza STi Spec-C also lapped in 7min 59sec.

It leaves us wondering who else is going to launch an assault on the Nordschleife’s 73 corners. Everyone from Nissan to Lexus have been having a go recently, leading us to worry (yet again) that car makers are focusing too much on headline-grabbing PR stunts at the world-famous race circuit rather than making cars that drive and handle on real roads driven by real people.

The CTS-V was driven by Cadillac test driver John Heinricy and was in production spec, the company says. It develops 543bhp from its 6.2-litre supercharged V8, and will offer a choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. The final spec will be released in the coming weeks when the car is formally unveiled.

Click here to see video footage of the Nurburgring lap

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By Tim Pollard