THE ONLY MANUAL, V8, REAR-WHEEL DRIVE SEDAN LEFT IN THE USA NOW PRODUCES 685 HP

Once upon a time, the perfect sports sedan recipe was simple and readily available. You had a V8 engine up front, a manual gearbox and five seats in the middle, and drive sent to the rear axle. Those were simple times, and that recipe gave us some of the greatest cars of all time.

From BMW M3s (E90) and M5s (E39) to more run-of-the-mill models like the Chevrolet SS and a plethora of American muscle sedans, there was an abundance of cars that fit that brief. But in the year of our Lord 2026, there is just one sedan left with a V8, a manual gearbox, and rear-wheel drive: the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.

The Best Performance Sedan Ever?

By now, you know the CT5-V Blackwing's headline figures, with the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine pumping out a thunderous 668 horsepower and 659 lb-ft of torque. Whereas the BMW M5 and performance sedans of its ilk have paired that much power with AWD for the better part of a decade, Cadillac's defiance of driving the front axle is admirable. But making the manual standard? That's worthy of parades through the streets.

The manual is a six-speed unit sourced from transmission specialists Tremec, featuring No-Lift Shift functionality and Active Rev-Matching for the most performance possible from a car with three pedals.

With one of the most beautifully balanced chassis, a long wheelbase, keen steering, and the ability to row gears yourself, the CT5-V Blackwing puts in a strong shout for being crowned one of the best performance sedans ever built. The only problem is that this has officially been crowned the final send-off for the ICE-powered Cadillac V series, and while the manual was retained for the facelift (thanks to a nearly 50 percent take rate for the six-speed in 2023), when the CT5-V Blackwing thunders off into the night, we heard that it would take that six-speed with it.

This year, Cadillac introduced the 2026 CT5-V Blackwing F1 Collector Series, celebrating the brand's first Grand Prix in the USA. It's not a phone-in special edition either. In addition to special design features, Cadillac added a new supercharger that ups the power to 685 hp and 673 lb-ft of torque. Only 26 will be built, and it's guaranteed to increase in value. The standard car is already the last of its kind, and this is by far the gnarliest version of it.

The CT5-V Blackwing May Be Dead But It's Six-Speed Manual Could Live On

Earlier in 2026, rumors of the Tremec six-speed manual that does duty in the CT5-V Blackwing going out of production hit the scene. As it turns out, that information wasn't entirely true, so CarBuzz reached out to Tremec to find out what the deal is. We were relieved to hear that the transmission in question will remain in production - and will likely be used in future muscle car projects. When asked if the Tremec six-speed will live on, this was the response:

Is The CT5-V Blackwing A Future Collector's Item?

People like to hype current models as future classics to artificially inflate their values, but the CT5-V Blackwing might actually have a case for itself. The F1 Collector Series says it right in the name — it's a special variant with more power than normal (which on its own is impressive) from a new supercharger, and such a limited production is sure to run up the numbers. Putting the rare variant aside, the normal Blackwing model holds value better than most cars.

In fact, the debut model year's base MSRP in 2022 was $83,995, and Kelley Blue Book shows them with a fair purchase price of $76,250 today. That's only a roughly 10% drop in four years, whereas many other cars will lose half their value in a similar timeframe due to normal depreciation. Buyers are spending even more on other special variants, like the First Edition Series from 2022 (250 units produced) or the 2023 model year's 120-year Anniversary Edition, of which 120 units were produced. We're confident that the latest F1 Collector's Series will gain serious traction at future auctions.

The Number Of Rear-Wheel Drive V8 Sedans Is Dwindling

The premise for this article was based on our research into how long we have left with V8 RWD sedans. In my mind, Dodge was the last bastion of V8 cars with a manual gearbox, but that's only really true of the now discontinued Challenger.

But what V8 sedans are still left with rear-wheel drive? I could only find two American-made sedans that weren't the CT5-V Blackwing, and both are no longer on sale for the 2025 model year. Instead, you have to shop for existing stock, of which the numbers are few and the dealer markups high. Meanwhile, there's one Japanese sedan with RWD and a V8, but it's unlikely to be around for much longer:

• 2023 Dodge Charger - Production ended in 2023 of the Dodge muscle sedan, and there are only 44 units available with no mileage. The split between V8 and V6 is around 50%.
• 2023 Chrysler 300 - Chrysler said goodbye to the 300 with a 6.4-liter Hemi-powered 300C, but that ended production in 2023 and sold out quickly.
• Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance - Arguably one of the best-sounding V8s around, the IS 500 is a relic in some ways, but one we love nonetheless. It falls short of its core rivals in every on-paper performance metric, but it has a soul, and we love it for that. It went out of production last year.

The Manual Isn't Dead... If You Can Settle For Fewer Cylinders

Yes, the number of V8, RWD sedans with manual transmissions is dwindling, but there are still options available if you're willing to lose the V8. For example, Cadillac offers the CT4-V Blackwing with a 6-speed manual transmission. It comes with a 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that makes 472 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to launch it to 60 mph from a standstill in 3.9 seconds before reaching a top speed of about 189 mph.

Other manual sedans you can buy in 2026 include the BMW M3 with its turbo inline-6, the Honda Civic SI with its 1.5L turbo inline-4, the Hyundai Elantra N that comes with a 276-hp 2.0L turbo I4, and the Subaru WRX with its 2.4-liter flat-four that makes 271 horsepower.

Since there are technically still a solid handful of new manual-transmission sedans on the market, perhaps the issue isn't about the manual dying, but the death of the V8 in new cars. This can be seen in many new trucks and SUVs, too, including the Hurricane I6 replacing the Hemi V8 in Ram trucks and other Stellantis products.

Sources: Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler, Lexus, Honda, BMW, Hyundai, Subaru

2026-06-14T04:09:37Z