An impressive Caddy

[Wild one]

https://www.motortrend.com/features/misty-mowen-vengeance-caddy-cts-v/?eml=organic%3Aeml%3Abrz%3A20240517%3Amisty-mowe%3Aarticle%3Aregstrd%3Aowcst%3Amt&utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=registered

 

[Wild one]

Art and Science​

Misty Mowen and Vengeance Racing go mid-8s with their turbocharged Caddy coupe.
Michael GalimiWriterKevin DiOssiPhotographerMay 16, 2024


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The high-performance luxury market changed dramatically in 2003 when the General Motors Performance Division was interwoven with the Cadillac brand. The collaboration was designed to bring the fight to the European performance brands, and it succeeded with the V-series package. A factory racing program was simultaneously launched to showcase the team’s engineering prowess on the racetrack. Over 20 years later, Vengeance Racing is continuing the V-series motorsport excitement—except we don’t think their version lines up with the original corporate business plan.


If you aren’t familiar with Vengeance Racing, let us give you the quick, high-level overview—the *******, Georgia-based motorsport facility is one of the leading late-model performance shops in the country. Ron Mowen opened its doors in 2006, first catering to GM platforms. Over time, the shop has grown to include all domestic performance brands. Around six years ago, Ron came across a deal that was too good to be true: a chance to get a customer’s 2011 Cadillac CTS-V coupe for his wife as a Mother’s Day gift. Through a little horse-trading of services and parts, the Caddy came into the Mowen family as Misty Mowen’s street car. This wasn’t just any V-series; this one arrived with a supercharged LS-stroker engine that at one time pushed the luxury coupe into the 8s at around 160 mph.

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A Diamond in the Rough ​

We won’t call it a barn find like what we normally come across, but the Caddy had seen cleaner days considering it was less than 10 years old. The problem was that the car had broken a few years earlier and the previous owner parked it in storage. Misty wasted no time getting her new whip ready for action by removing the dust, grime, and cobwebs that had formed. A short time and many cans of cleaning solvent later, she was doing burnouts and having fun at the dragstrip.
The family business is selling speed, so in those six years of ownership, the car has seen an evolution from a supercharged combination to its current twin-turbo setup. The formerly black-colored V-series had also been painted white, a traditional vehicle color in the Mowen household.

Related: 2002 Chevy Corvette C5 Z06–The Face of Evil

Get Out and Race! ​

It isn’t every day that you see luxury sedans throwing down 8- and 9-second performances at the dragstrip, but that is a common sight at Street Car Braggin’ Rights, an annual shootout held at Carolina Dragway in Aiken, South Carolina. The event brings together a wide range of late-model vehicles and muscle cars through various heads-up eliminators. Misty’s CTS-V fits right in with that crowd, and she was entered in the Heavy Weight and No Time Overdrive Shootout categories. The Heavy Weight class requires vehicles to be a minimum of 4,200-pounds, have functioning A/C, and roll on DOT-legal tires. She qualified second with a stout 8.75 at 157 mph—not her quickest run, but certainly not slow. She knocked off an even quicker 8.68 at 157 mph during a test hit prior to qualifying, which is slightly off the car’s best run of 8.44 at 165 mph.

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The Caddy is currently powered by a 427ci LSX complete with an LME billet intake manifold, MAST cylinder heads, Vengeance custom camshaft, and a Huron Speed twin-turbo kit. Ron had Huron build a custom air-to-water intercooler for the package to keep the inlet air temps down at high boost. Recently, Misty turned to a FuelTech FT600 engine management system to control the engine and handle power management. She manually shifts the RPM-built 4L80 transmission.
Ron recently surprised his wife with more go-fast gifts, first a set of upgraded Precision 6875 turbochargers, and then a new set of RC Components wheels to complete the car’s new look and mid-8-second capabilities. The combination of these parts and the FuelTech’s power management capabilities has the Mowen family looking to run harder than their best of 8.44. Misty didn’t get a chance to do that at Street Car Braggin’ Rights; she went a few rounds in the classes she entered but exited before improving on her elapsed time.
Misty has polished her Cadillac’s classy appearance and is keeping the model’s motorsport heritage intact, thus staying true to the art and science of speed as intended.

 

[crash68]

Many years ago I was able to take a Cadillac Eldorado with a supercharged Northstar engine running 8 psi of boost. That was a rocket if you kept the wheels from excessive spinning (laying rubber).

 

[Wild one]

Many years ago I was able to take a Cadillac Eldorado with a supercharged Northstar engine running 8 psi of boost. That was a rocket if you kept the wheels from excessive spinning (laying rubber).

There's one of the Caddy Wagons here in town with the hot motor and a 6 speed manual.The car hauls ass for a wagon, it runs high 11's / low 12's at the local track depending on DA and how well the tracks been prepped,which is impressive for a stock wagon up here

 

[Wild one]

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2024-cadillac-ct5-v-blackwing-20th-anniversary-edition-first-look/?eml=organic%3Aeml%3Abrz%3A20240517%3A2024-cadil%3Aarticle%3Aregstrd%3Aowcst%3Amt&utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=registered

 

[crash68]

If you do decide to buy one of the +$300K Cadillacs, you'll be able to tour the area where the vehicle is hand assembled at the GM Tech Center.

 

[Docwagon1776]

If I ever elect to move on from my Camaro SS/RS, it'd probably be to pick up a CT5-V Blackwing. My wife is going back to work soon and our son will be off my car insurance in a few years, so it'd be pretty easily doable at that point if I want. I'm kind of over the Corvette and the new mid-engine thing is cool and all, but I want a capable road trip car as well as a fun to drive car. The Camaro still excels at both fun and luggage space, but the ride is stiff enough I shattered a wine bottle in the trunk a few weeks ago when I hit a pothole and I really ought to upgrade the stereo in it. Which I say every spring when I bring it out and promptly forget about it every fall when I put it away...