From the factory, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V produces 556 horsepower. And that seems like a lot. After all, it’s more than a brand-new Porsche 911, the Aston Martin DB9, and only slightly less than a Ferrari 458. But 556 hp was nowhere near enough for the group of talented lunatics that is SNL Performance. Their tuned version produces a simply staggering 1309 hp.
Really, when you get to 1309, you should stop measuring in horses; it just seems silly. So let’s measure that power in a different way: 1309 hp is the equivalent of 65 Ford Model Ts worth of horsepower. All of that power is still going to the rear wheels, too. So if you are interested in this car, my advice is to get a hold on a good supply of tires, probably one set per stop sign should do it.
With this much power, even touching the gas pedal is taking your life into your own hands … or, I suppose, feet. But SNL Performance and Karger, the man who calibrated this CTS-V, let none of these concerns stand in the way of producing what they claim to be the most powerful CTS-V ever.
That puts the ball firmly into Hennessey Performance’s court. For a while, the madmen at Hennessey have been producing the VR1200, a 2009 CTS-V with a measly 1200 hp. Sure, that may be more than your average nuclear submarine – and good for at least 220 mph – but it isn’t 1309!
But this is Hennessey we are talking about, and it takes its motto of “Making Fast Cars Since 1991” very seriously. So I wouldn’t expect them to take this shot from SNL lying down.
If this CTS-V performance war does get any crazier though, we may only be able to observe it from the safety of a nuclear bunker. Lest the mighty roar of the supercharged V8s literally tear the flesh from our bones.
