Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing sedans will get manuals, but they aren't coming soon

Cadillac originally teased hotter versions of its CT4-V (blue) and CT5-V (red) in camouflage prints back in May of 2019 at the Detroit Grand Prix.

We now know that these models will be known as CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-Blackwing, respectively.    

Whipping around the track at Belle Isle as part of the Detroit GP, the two sedans were heavily disguised, with vinyl obscuring their bodies' details.   

While it was originally thought that at least one of these models would receive the 4.2-liter, twin-turbocharged Blackwing V8 that made its first appearance in the 550-horsepower CT6-V, we now know that won't be the case.     

While it might make all the sense in the world to sling a Blackwing V8 between the fenders of these Blackwing-named models, we're not mad at rumors suggesting they'll will receive engines based on the powerplants found in the outgoing ATS-V and/or CTS-V models. 

That could mean both more displacement and more power.

The best part? Cadillac has confirmed that both the CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing models will come standard with manual gearbox, something of a rarity in new models these days. An automatic transmission option is promised, with rumors suggesting it'll be GM's new 10-speed unit.

Cadillac's model naming scheme has been a bit of a muddled mess for years. Now, they seem to be doing much the same as Mercedes-AMG did with the "AMG Sport" badge, taking what would have been called a V-Sport a few years ago and folding it into the now-larger V family. 

Confusingly, of course, they're now adding "Blackwing" as an additional designator for the highest-performing variants in their model ranges.

Nomenclatures aside, we're truly stoked for these new, ultra-high-performance sedans. Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait a while to see them undisguised.

GM tells Roadshow that these models have been delayed until the 2022 model year. In fact, we won't see them undisguised until Q1 of 2021.

Bummer.