Cadillac’s big, loud, rear-drive sport sedan is getting one more very specific collector-grade variant: the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector Series. It takes the already serious CT5-V Blackwing formula and turns the output up to 685 horsepower and 673 lb-ft of torque, while keeping the six-speed manual transmission in the mix.
That matters because the CT5-V Blackwing sits in a shrinking corner of the market. A supercharged V8, rear-wheel drive, four doors, and an available manual gearbox are no longer normal sedan ingredients. They are the kind of specs that make enthusiasts read order guides closely and make collectors start doing production-math in their heads.
Cadillac is only building 26 examples of the F1 Collector Series. The price is listed at $260,000, putting it well beyond the standard CT5-V Blackwing and into a zone where rarity, branding, and long-term desirability are part of the purchase decision. This is not simply the cheapest way into a fast Cadillac sedan. It is a low-volume, high-power sendoff aimed at buyers who want the most distinctive version of the car.
What Makes The F1 Collector Series Different
The core change is mechanical. Cadillac’s regular CT5-V Blackwing uses a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 rated at 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque. The F1 Collector Series uses a new supercharger setup that lifts output to 685 horsepower and 673 lb-ft.
The gearbox is just as important as the power bump. Every F1 Collector Series car is paired with a six-speed manual transmission rather than the 10-speed automatic offered elsewhere in the CT5-V Blackwing lineup. That makes the special edition unusually focused for a modern luxury performance sedan. It is not trying to be the most effortless version. It is trying to be the most involved one.
The manual transmission includes enthusiast-minded features such as No-Lift Shift and Active Rev Matching. Those systems are there to make quick driving cleaner without removing the physical act of shifting. In a market where high-output sedans increasingly lean on automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive, Cadillac is keeping this version deliberately old-school in the places buyers will notice most.
The F1 Collector Series also includes the Precision Package. That package brings chassis and braking hardware meant to sharpen the car for serious driving, including revised suspension components, magnetic damper tuning, carbon-ceramic brakes, and high-performance summer tires. For buyers who actually plan to drive the car hard, that matters more than the badges.
| Model | Power | Torque | Transmission | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT5-V Blackwing | 668 hp | 659 lb-ft | 6-speed manual or 10-speed automatic | Regular production |
| CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector Series | 685 hp | 673 lb-ft | 6-speed manual | 26 units |
The Styling Is Loud In A Very Cadillac Way
The F1 Collector Series leans into a monochrome motorsport look rather than a bright throwback livery. The car wears Midnight Stone Frost paint, Cadillac’s matte black finish, with Carbon Flash wheels and Harbor Gray brake calipers. Glossy carbon-fiber lower bodywork and a silver pinstripe give the package a more technical look than a standard blacked-out trim.
There is also a tall carbon-fiber rear spoiler, F1 branding on the exterior, and special badging inside. The logos appear on areas such as the rear wing, front doors, side skirts, headrests, shift-knob medallion, sill plates, center-console trim, and a serialized interior badge.
For some buyers, that level of branding will be the point. For others, it may be the one part of the car that feels less timeless than the hardware. The underlying CT5-V Blackwing already has plenty of presence without needing much help, so the F1 visual package is best understood as part of the edition’s collector pitch rather than a purely aesthetic upgrade.
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Why This Sedan Stands Out
The CT5-V Blackwing is unusual because it combines traits that automakers have mostly stopped putting together. A V8 sedan is rare enough. A rear-drive V8 sedan with a manual transmission is rarer still. A luxury sport sedan with that layout and nearly 700 horsepower is almost in its own category.
That is why the F1 Collector Series lands differently from a normal appearance package. The standard CT5-V Blackwing already feels like a car from another era filtered through modern suspension, tire, brake, and infotainment expectations. The collector edition simply concentrates that appeal into a smaller, more expensive package.
The broader market has moved in another direction. The latest high-output sedans often use all-wheel drive, hybrid assistance, automatic gearboxes, or some combination of all three. Those choices make sense for acceleration, emissions strategy, traction, and everyday ease. They also make the Cadillac feel more mechanical and more deliberate by comparison.
That does not automatically make the Blackwing better for every buyer. A rear-drive manual sedan with this much power asks more of the person driving it. It will not deliver the same all-weather security as an all-wheel-drive performance sedan, and the manual gearbox will not be the quickest or easiest choice for everyone. The appeal is in the control and the character, not pure convenience.
Collector Potential Without The Certainty
It is easy to call a limited-run performance car a future classic. It is harder to say what the market will actually do years from now. The F1 Collector Series has the ingredients collectors tend to like: low production, a meaningful mechanical difference, a manual gearbox, special badging, and a connection to Cadillac’s Formula 1 program.
What it does not have is a guaranteed appreciation curve. No modern car comes with that. The $260,000 price already bakes in a major premium over the standard CT5-V Blackwing, which means buyers are paying for scarcity up front. Anyone approaching it as an investment should treat that as risk, not certainty.
As a car to own and drive, the case is much clearer. The standard CT5-V Blackwing has built its reputation around the combination of big power, rear-drive balance, communicative steering, and the option to shift for yourself. The F1 Collector Series adds power and exclusivity without removing the manual transmission, which is exactly the kind of decision enthusiast buyers tend to remember.
The more interesting question is whether the regular CT5-V Blackwing ends up being the smarter purchase. It has the same basic layout, the same supercharged V8 character, and the same available six-speed manual, without the collector-edition price. Buyers who want the driving experience more than the numbered plaque may find the standard car far easier to justify.
Manual Sedans Still Exist, But Not Like This
The manual transmission has not disappeared entirely from new sedans, but the list is narrow and the engines are very different. Cadillac’s smaller CT4-V Blackwing offers a six-speed manual with a twin-turbo V6. BMW’s M3 is still available with a manual in certain configurations. The Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N, and Subaru WRX keep the stick-shift sport-sedan idea alive at much lower price points.
Those cars matter because they prove the manual is not dead. What is fading faster is the combination of a manual gearbox, a V8 engine, and rear-wheel drive in a four-door car. That specific formula used to have more company. The Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 have left production, and the Lexus IS 500 keeps the naturally aspirated V8 sedan idea alive without offering a manual transmission.
For shoppers, that means the CT5-V Blackwing is less about nostalgia than scarcity. If the brief is four doors, V8 power, rear-wheel drive, and three pedals, there are not many places left to look. If the brief can flex to fewer cylinders, the market opens up. If it cannot, Cadillac’s big Blackwing is the obvious name on the shortlist.
Who This Car Is Really For
The F1 Collector Series is not aimed at the average luxury sedan buyer, and it is not the practical value pick in the CT5-V Blackwing family. It is for someone who wants the most extreme, most limited, most clearly marked version of Cadillac’s manual V8 sedan.
That buyer probably already understands the compromises. The car is expensive, rare, and likely to be difficult to buy at list price. The matte finish and carbon-fiber details will require careful upkeep. The Precision Package hardware makes sense for serious driving, but the regular CT5-V Blackwing may remain the more relaxed daily choice.
Still, the appeal is obvious. The F1 Collector Series takes a car that already felt like an outlier and makes it even more specific. It is more powerful, more exclusive, and more visibly tied to Cadillac’s racing moment. Most importantly, it keeps the manual transmission at the center of the experience.
For a buyer who wants the most collectible version, the 26-car run is the headline. For a buyer who wants the best driver’s sedan for the money, the standard CT5-V Blackwing may be the cleaner answer. Either way, Cadillac’s manual V8 sedan is now carrying a kind of weight that goes beyond horsepower. It represents one of the last places where this kind of performance-car recipe still exists in showroom form.