C8 Corvette Takes on Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing in Unique New Drag Race

The brand new Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and C8 put on one heck of a show in this interesting racing format.

The C8 Corvette is already well into its third model year, which is somewhat hard to believe. As is always the case in the automotive world, there have been several cool new models that have launched in that timespan, including the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the next generation of the luxury brand’s fancy, muscular sedan. These are two very different vehicles built by the same automaker, and that makes them worthy of going head to head in a brand new type of race – the U-Drag, created by the folks at Edmunds.

The concept of the U-Drag race is fairly simple – two cars drag race each other in a straight line as normal, but at the end of the track, each brakes hard, flips around, and then heads back the other way. It adds a little bit of action to an old standard, which we’re all for. This is also the very first time Edmunds has completed a U-Drag race, though more are in the works.

The foes in this particular matchup start with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, which is powered by the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 as the C7 Z06, mounted up front. In this guise, that powerplant cranks out 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque, which flows through a six-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels. While fun, the manual gearbox isn’t the best for acceleration, while the Caddy’s hefty 4,152-pound curb weight won’t help, either.

The C8 Corvette needs no introduction by now, but just in case, it’s powered by the new naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter LT2 V8 that makes quite a bit less power than the Caddy  – 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, though it’s equipped with a quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and tips the scales at just 3,649 pounds.

In the first race, that all plays out as expected – the Corvette accelerates much harder off the line, pulling ahead for an early lead. However, the Blackwing makes up ground by the end, and the two cars hit their respective U-turns at essentially the same time. The race back is so close that it’s hard to determine the winner in real-time. The second race is more of the same even after a driver switch, with yet another photo finish at the end.

Incredibly, both cars took exactly 31.4 seconds to complete the first race, with the more powerful Blackwing hitting 135.2 mph versus the C8’s 129.3 mph. In the second race, the Blackwing manages to take home the win, just barely, with a 31.9-second run at 135.1 mph versus the Corvette’s 32.0-second ET at 128.4 mph.

While the Corvette will win a straight-up quarter-mile drag race any day between these two, it’s pretty cool to see how these two cars differ when handling and more top end are involved. The Caddy’s power advantage is on clear display in that regard, though the C8 remains the low-end acceleration king.

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