Cadillac CTS-V Coupe to be unveiled at Detroit Auto Show

Cadillac,- The brutally powerful Cadillac CTS-V Coupe may not be the car President Obama wants to see parked in front of your house, and chances are probably good that the monster machine won’t find its way into a whole lot of garages.
But it’s of great importance to Cadillac, specifically, and General Motors in general, because it sends out another strong signal that the one-time “Standard of the World” is back in the game and is taking on the big boys -- particularly the hot shoes from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

New pictures of the upcoming coupe were released today and visitors to the 2010 Detroit Auto Show will get to inspect it up close and personal next week.

As expected, the coupe will get the same 6.2-liter, supercharged, 556 horsepower V-8 engine as the CTS-V sedan, the same choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and the same Magnetic Ride Control that firms up for enthusiast driving and softens up for everyday touring chores.

If you like the idea of a 0-60 mph sprint in a mere 3.9 seconds, this is the car for you.

The coupe looks very much like the sedan -- minus two doors, of course. But there are other differences, some subtle, some not so much, between the two cars.

The coupe has a slightly more muscular stance, with a track that is an inch wider than the sedan. Although its wheelbase is identical to that of the sedan, the coupe is two inches shorter and to inches lower.

It also has a different grille that allows the engine to breathe more freely and the center of the hood is raised to make room for the supercharger.

Production of the CTS-V Coupe will begin this summer. Prices were not announced, but prospective buyers can get at least a strong hint from the sedan, which starts at
$62,020.