IngenereAMG

I rotate a number of cars each week and they are all fairly fast, but my CS seems to have a target on it lately. Target or not, this time a new CTS-V coupe was taken to school!

After leaving our monthly Cars & Coffee gathering, I catch a glimpse of a distinctive Caddy grill attempting to pull out from a shopping center. I glance in my mirror only to see him pull out very aggressively, and start weaving through traffic, in hot pursuit (I think).

I know he's got lots of HP, so I just stay to the right to let him do the fly by..... but no! He flies up to my driver's side blind spot, and then tucks into my slipstream.

OK, I'll bite! But we are approaching one of my favorite little roads! Sharp right, followed by a half mile straight that leads to a sweeping left that decreases it's radius, and on to a traffic light. Let's see whatcha got!

About 200 yards before the right, I put my turn signal on and squeeze the loud pedal...... and he gives chase. I leave my braking as late as possible and let the carbon ceramics do their job. He's already loosing ground in the braking zone, as he had to brake much sooner. Late braking and blipping down to second, I turn in and am back on the gas in short order.

I'm already up through the middle of third as I see him get a little sideways on the exit, but he's trying..... hard! The sweeper is a left, so I approach from the right. But for some reason he's charging from the left. Looks like another squid!

I don't really have to brake for this corner, so I get to the top of third, shift to forth, leave my turn in as late possible, hold steady and roll on some more throttle as I head for the apex. After the exit, Mr Caddy is nowhere to be seen.

As I sit at the light and wait.... and wait, the black CTS-V finally makes his appearance next to me. He looks over and we exchange smiles. He then says, "I didn't think those 360's were that fast". I said that they aren't, but this is a Challenge Stradale! He looked puzzled and obviously had no idea what he just got smacked with!

Here's a couple of shots from C&C for all you snow bound folks. Have a great weekend ......

Dragoncoach

Great write up! I love reading your posts!

thegreatfnr

X2. I always enjoy your stories. You make the CS sound like it is quite a monstrous beast while being the drivers wet dream.

I find that most of my fun skirmish's end up after the local "caffeine & octane" as well.

IngenereAMG

The CS is really a great driver's car. Easily the best since my old F40, which was such a visceral experience. I love it!

You are correct, allot of these things tend to happen after or before coffee. Probably because its early in the AM on the weekend and there more than a few guys out having fun with their cars.

Militant-Grunt

A cts-v stock whether its a sedan or coupe will utterly destroy a 360 in a straight line though. Caddy must be a pig in the corners or the guy didn't have the ***** the stay with you haha.

Kreuzfeuer

Skill + ***** + familiarity with a given road > cocky challengers

IngenereAMG

Magazine racing is completely different than the real world. However, having said that I always like to lure them onto a road with some corners, that requires more than just plant your right foot and pray.

In my experience most people can't even spell apex, let alone figure out a corner.... and it's always more fun to take it to someone who thinks they have all kinds of power.

The CS I have is a bit deceptive. We designed and built a header back exhaust and then tuned the ECU's. It is about 475hp now and weighs less than 2800 pounds. My wife wanted to learn to drive the CS, so I had her in that car and me in my SL55. After she got comfortable with it, she nailed it and I had a very hard time staying with it in a straight line... which really shocked me.

Militant-Grunt

Its not even magazine racing, its just a plain and simple fact that a 360CS will trap about 110-112mph, (extra 30whp from mods wont yield the gap between the two either) while these caddy's bone stock trap about 117-118. I've raced a 10' CTS-V sedan in a track proven 11sec stage 3 S4, the 3-4 lengths I got on him weren't substantial at all.

Just saying you had a run in with someone who can't drive.

Did you ever take your 360 to the track?

LZH

LOL - what, the drag strip you mean ?? Because that's such a great indicator of real world performance ? In there real world there are turns. In the real world you don't run drag radials on the street. This little run in is a perfect example of how straight line speed and traps are WORTHLESS. They don't mean squat day in day out. I think the encounter above proves this without a doubt.

Jons95c36amg

475hp with less than 2800lbs. That will kill a stock ctsv-pig.

jmf003

Dino is a racecourse instructor.

C280 Sport

Someone stuck their foot in their mouth. Great write up Dino. Always a joy to read your stories.

rockjock

When you gonna sell me that CS D?
Great story as always!

Vader13

I got in a run with a F430 CS F car last week.
The guy cruzes state street in Santa Barbara all the time. At the end of the street there is a light with a long run under the free way. He was following me down, pulled up next to me, the light hit and I had him by a good half car into third. He stepped off and then pulled off the next left and would not even look over. Man that thing sounded amazing. Also today I killed a C63 (Sounded good too) all the way into 4th by a car with 3 guys in the car on PCH..Fun runs this week.

IngenereAMG

If you read the account, I pegged him as a 'squid'', since he was approaching a decreasing radius left from the wrong side of the road..... to answer your track question.... I don't do drag strips... they make me yawn! But I do spend a little time on the track!



It's all about power to weight!

Shhhhhhhh! Be vewwy quiet!! I thought that was our little secret!


Everything is for sale!

Militant-Grunt

Ok, I'll give you a taste of the real world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3SaRIWXqjA

360CS's are actually slower stock for stock against a Plain Jane 360 (Proven with not 1 but 2 360CS's). Not to mention these cars weight MORE than advertised.

Grab some pop corn, its a good watch. (I had this video uploaded just for you guys.)

So when I say that a CTS-V coupe or sedan can rip one of these cars a new one (heads up highway run), I have no shadow of a doubt that they can.

If you're a track instructor then I am not surprised that you beat an inexperienced driver with his new car down some twisty roads. All I'm saying..

Kreuzfeuer

All we're saying is that there is more to driving than going straight as fast as possible.

I see so many people buying "supercars" and straight-line rockets (CTSV) that don't know jack about how to truly wring the performance from their cars. The same drivers that think "chicane" is a type of seasoning.

Both types of driving require skill, no doubt about that. It's the reason Dodger is deep in the 10's with his C63... There's more to drag than "mash and go".

But to say that one car is superior over another simply based off one criteria is asinine. To imply the CTS-V would be a threat to a Ferrari 360 CS (especially the OP's) on curvy mountain roads is ludicrous. The CS is at home there, not the 1320.

IngenereAMG

You are from NY! I remember growing up there, and everyone looking for an argument..... but all in good fun.

As for the video.....

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Looks like some 'Bridge and Tunnel' boys speeding in a straight line, getting stopped on the GSP and playing with numbers.

I must have a freaky fast CS. Boy, I got lucky!

Militant-Grunt

Not looking for an argument, just like facing facts.

Not saying a CTS-V is a superior car. I am saying on brute straight line power, the 360 is beat. Nothing else.

jmf003

Well, you actually did say a bit more than that in some of your other posts but no worries.

And for what it's worth pretty much all the serious car guys in this forum understand and respect what GM did with the CTS-V engine.

gnxs

They did alot more with that car than just the engine. While it may not stay with a Ferrari down a winding road, it'll more than hold its own against similar performance sedans.

FastDonzi

they are actually on the NJturnpike in front of newark airport of all places.so many cops there.but i'm almost positive that these guys have get out of jail free cards anyway.lol

jmf003

I respectfully disagree.

The second gen CTS-V runs fast on high speed courses such as the Nurburgring but sees a lot of taillights on shorter, tighter courses e.g. http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/au...est_track.html

IngenereAMG

Sometimes its hard to get the total feel of what is being said. I know you aren't looking for an argument. This is the web, and all good fun.

I just remember 'bantering' with my buddies back in NYC...... sometimes over nothing... but having fun. If you grew up in and around the city, I know you know what I mean.

Wow! I wouldn't have pegged that as the NJTP near the airport. There were far too many trees. I would have thought GSP up by the NY border, or 287 north of the Morristown area.

They may have 'get out of jail free' cards, but I'm pretty sure they are having a little fun and playing with the numbers to be controversial. But again, this is the web and its all in good fun.

gnxs

And how many cars ahead of it on that list are similar performance sedans (and no much lighter cars like an Evo or M3 are not "similar"). While the car will certainly shine on longer courses, like I said before, it'll "hold it's own" on any given track against it's competitors. I'm well aware that it's slower than a ZR1, various 997 Turbos, GT-R, Z06, Gallardo, R8, etc. on not only the track you listed, but likely any track. The Panamera is the car that could be considered a competitor and beat the CTS-V by a good margin on that track (and any track for that matter).

Are you also respectfully disagreeing to the statement "that GM did alot more to the current edition CTS-V than just dropping in the 6.2 SC engine"?