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New presidential limo spotted in use for the first time

It has been a long lead-up to the new presidential limousine, but now it appears General Motors has "The Beast" in working order for President Donald Trump. The new limo was spotted in public for the first time this weekend in New York City in Trump's motorcade, reportedly on its way to Trump Tower. Said to have been in development since 2013, the $15.8 million armored Cadillac is making its debut as Trump's ride to the U.N. General Assembly this week. The grille suggests looks along the lines of a Cadillac CT6 V-Sport, but the similarities don't go much beyond that. If you look closely, Trump appears to be in the second "Beast" of the twin truck-based Cadillacs that go by in the video. The limo has a diesel engine to propel its near-20,000-pound self down the road, but we couldn't detect much of an oil-burner sound over those gigantic truck tires. This week in NYC will showcase motorcades and fancy presidential limos from around the world, all coming in for the big annual meeting at the U.N. Trump's presidential limos get shipped around the world too because they have their own plane: a C-17 Globemaster cargo carrier. There's no shortage of cool features on the new limo, and we detailed those here. While some of the awesome defense mechanisms are public knowledge, we're sure there are plenty that remain classified. New model presidential limo noticed awaiting Pres Trump at Wall Street heliport. Photo by @stevebruskCNN pic.twitter.com/lEytRcJ9rt — Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 23, 2018 Featured video:

Cadillac V-Series Academy comes to Las Vegas [w/video]

General Motors has added another high-speed education course to the curriculum at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The desert track already hosts the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School with Chevrolet Corvettes, including the ZR1, and they've just added the Cadillac V-Series Academy.
Open now, the one- and two-day performance driving school teaches "the finer points of high performance driving" using the 556-horspower instructional aids known as the CTS-V sedan, coupe and wagon. This is different than than using the CTS-V at the Monticello Motor Club on the east coast - that's part of a sponsorship deal that Cadillac has with the track. The driving course at the Motorsports Ranch is its own program that was developed by Fellows, and we have no reason to think the Cadillac edition won't be just as thorough and enjoyable as the one with Corvettes.
Unlike the 'Vette edition, however, it doesn't appear that you get an invitation to the program if you buy a CTS-V model. Classes are capped at 12 participants and run $1,295 for a single day, $2,295 for two days. There are a video and a press release below with more info.

2020 Cadillac CT6 losing the 3.0-liter TT V6?

In April we learned Cadillac would no longer offer the 2.0-liter four-cylinder on the CT6. The same day we heard the news, the CT6 configurator showed that engine option gone, leaving three engines on the menu. That menu could lose another option come 2020, according to a report in AutoVerdict. The site says it got an order guide for the 2020 CT6, and the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 won't make it to the new year. That engine was once the top-tier choice, since eclipsed by the detuned 4.2-liter twin-turbo Blackwing V8 imminently available on the Platinum trim. AutoVerdict also read in the order guide that the horsepower figures haven't been finalized for next year's model. As it stands, the entry-level 3.6-liter six-cylinder makes 335 horsepower and 284 pound-feet of torque, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 produces 404 hp and 400 lb-ft, and the 4.2-liter V8 ginning up 500 hp and 574 lb-ft when it arrives. Retiring the middle option ostensibly puts a big ol' gap in output and pricing between the two models left. Right now $24,200 separates the entry-level Premium Luxury from the Platinum. However, since the present Platinum uses the 3.0-liter, it's safe to guess that the 4.2-liter V8 will cost more, creating a larger gap. The Sport model in between uses the 3.0-liter, too. Perhaps that goes away, or maybe it stays and gets further cosmetic upgrades to give it more edge and a higher price. Another change coming to the 2020 CT6 is its induction into Cadillac's metric-unit torque-based badging system. This, remember, converts pound-foot torque into Newton-meters, then rounds up to the nearest 50. That means the 3.0-liter V6 will wear a 400 badge, the 4.2-liter V8 gets an 800T badge - the T standing for turbo. The year's been full of engine rationalizations at General Motors. Theories about the CT6 dropping the 2.0-liter figured it might have been about making space above the CT5, or guaranteeing supply for other GM models that use the engine, like the Cadillac XT4. The folks at AutoVerdict suspect the 3.0-liter TTV6 could be making the move to the CT5, and to the hot-headed CT4-V we'll be getting a look at come the end of this month. Related Video: