49 Cadillac 60 Special Fleetwood 331ci V8 160 Hp Automatic Transmission on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1981 Cadillac Eldorado with V8-6-4 engine

Skyrocketing fuel prices caused by geopolitical events in 1973 and 1979 led to gas lines, federal fuel economy requirements, and an increasing reluctance on the part of American car shoppers to buy big, thirsty Detroit luxury machines. General Motors had pulled off some amazing technological feats in the past — the small-block Chevrolet V8 engine and Hydramatic transmission being two extraordinarily successful ones — and so Cadillac's bosses figured that a combination of computer wizardry and clever mechanical engineering would give the 368-cubic-inch Cadillac V8 a cylinder-deactivation system and resulting superior fuel economy. Here's a very rare example of one of those 1981 Cadillacs, found in a California self-service wrecking yard. The idea behind the V8-6-4 was that computer-controlled solenoids would physically disengage the rocker arms for one or two cylinders on each engine bank under low-load conditions, converting the engine from a 368-cube V8 to a 276ci V6 or 184ci V4 (that's 6.0, 4.5 or 3.0 liters, respectively, for the metric-system aficionados among us). This sort of variable-displacement magic is commonplace today, but it was science-fiction stuff in 1981. An "MPG Sentinel" display on the dash would let the driver know how many cylinders were active at the moment, and the car would get Chevy Citation fuel economy with Cadillac luxury. The V8-6-4 was the standard engine in all 1981 Cadillacs (except for the Seville, which had the troubled Oldsmobile diesel engine as the base powerplant and the V8-6-4 as an option). Unfortunately, the V8-6-4 worked about as well as the Oldsmobile diesel: very poorly. Within a few years, most owners of these engines had disconnected the rocker-deactivation solenoids and just drove their cars as regular full-time V8s. This one has the snazzy "Cabriolet Roof Treatment" option, which boasted "textured elk grain" vinyl and could be had in one of 17 available colors. Front-wheel drive gave the early-1980s Eldorado plenty of interior space, despite its more proletarian Olds Toronado origins, and these velour-covered seats made for very comfortable road trips. The price tag started at $17,550, or about $51,650 in 2019 dollars. The 1981 Imperial went for $18,311, and that car was based on the same platform as the lowly Plymouth Volare. Meanwhile, A BMW 733i cost $28,945 and a new Toyota Cressida a mere $11,599. The 1981 Cadillacs were just a little too much ahead of their time, it turned out.

2021 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing spied up close, showing off bronze wheels

Here is yet another closer look at the upcoming Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing sedan. Some pertinent details have been flying around this one for a while now. A photo of the interior showing a manual transmission is the latest leak, and it’s also one of the most exciting. Reports have also shone light on the engine: ItÂ’s supposed to be getting an updated version of GMÂ’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8. There will be no shortage of horsepower and torque. These latest spy shots reveal a couple of other new developments. For one, we get a really great look at the wheel and tire package on the car. Those dark bronze wheels are new, and they sure do look like production-style wheels to us. If anything, they remind us of the Brass Monkey wheel color found on Challengers and Chargers. Wide Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires wrap those wheels. It gets 305-section-width tires in back and 275-section-width rubber in front. The wide, staggered setup is no surprise considering that this car will very likely put out more than 640 horsepower. ThereÂ’s a great deal of camouflage missing from the car as a whole, too. The hood is out in the open, and the same goes for the upper portions of the doors. ThatÂ’s because those parts of the car are virtually identical to the regular CT5-V. Sorry, no massive hood scoop on this sedan. The front grilleÂ’s lower opening does look significantly taller on this car, though. And where the standard CT5 has covered up fake vents, this car appears to have real, open venting. All the lighting is the same, but the maw of the CT5-V Blackwing is definitely much more aggressive than the standard CT5-V. Cadillac hasnÂ’t provided us with a date on when the new CT5-V Blackwing will be revealed, but has assured us that itÂ’s coming soon. We expect its little sibling, the CT4-V Blackwing, will debut right alongside this one. Related video:

Porsche 911 Turbos, and the new Lotus Emira | Autoblog Podcast #686

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. The two talk about their experiences in the 911 Turbo and Turbo S Cabriolet, then pivot to talking about the BMW M3 Competition on the Indiana Nurburgring. They follow that up by discussing driver assistance systems, given recent experience in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade with Super Cruise and Hyundai's Highway Drive Assist. After that, they get into some news, talking about the new Lotus Emira and Genesis G80 Sport. Finally, they wrap up with a rather interesting two-for-one "Spend my Money" edition where they help two listeners with different car buying conundrums. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #686 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving: 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo 2021 BMW M3 on Indiana Nurburgring 2021 Cadillac Escalade with Super Cruise Long-term Hyundai Palisade update News: Lotus Emira Genesis G80 Sport Spend My Money, Double Edition Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: Podcasts BMW Cadillac Genesis Hyundai Lotus Porsche Technology Convertible Coupe Crossover SUV Luxury Performance Sedan