There's an old adage that says “power corrupts,” and history has shown us examples of this across many spectrums.  Give a Governor

2010 Cadillac CTS-VZoom In
A wild beast of American muscle, as civilized as any of its European rivals. (Photo: Cadillac)
the keys to the White House, and interns may run amok.  Give a despot the throne in some nations, and the results can be very detrimental to the population. 

So if power corrupts, what was Cadillac thinking when they gave the already potent CTS a huge increase in output and displacement and called it the CTS-V?   Well, power, of course!  In this case the power to run supreme with the established big dogs from Mercedes' AMG and BMW's M.  Long have the Germans reigned supreme in the wars for supremacy in the luxury performance sedan class.  For me, I am marking this day in time, because on this day I drove the 2010 CTS-V and had my vision of German superiority absolutely shattered. 

The

2010 Cadillac CTS-VZoom In
Simply wicked on the road and track! (Photo: Cadillac)
essence of the CTS-V can be determined by pressing the “start” button on the dash.  No need to listen carefully, as the rumble of thunder is just that – 6.2 litres of supercharged American V8 performance is ready to explode, rendering the luxury sound deadening in the CTS-V virtually useless.  But this is the beauty of the CTS-V.  You want to hear every stroke of the sweet engine.

The CTS-V first bowed in the U.S. market in 2004, and featured an old school pushrod V8 engine that produced 400 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. For 2006 models, Cadillac installed a 6.0-litre LS2 engine from the '06 Corvette to give the “V” more of a pedigree.  Power, however, was rated at the same 400hp/395 lb-ft as the 5.7-litre CTS-V. 

2010 Cadillac CTS-VZoom In
Not for the feint of heart. (Photo: Cadillac)
You figure that one out. These are impressive numbers, but not enough to garner respect from the Germans.  First gen CTS-Vs were built from 2004-2007. 

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