[PLF69]

Got a CT5V Blackwing allocation !!

I have an M3 6MT Malachite incoming.

Thanks life for this little challenge !!

[rowdydaoudy]

That's a nice problem to have! All boils down to personal preference. I'd personally go for the M3 all day long (G80 M3 6mt owner) over the blackwing. Especially in malachite! That thing is going to be bad ass!

But, maybe flip the blackwing if getting it at msrp? Not sure of the mark up on those now, but iirc, they're going high.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by rowdydaoudy

That's a nice problem to have! All boils down to personal preference. I'd personally go for the M3 all day long (G80 M3 6mt owner) over the blackwing. Especially in malachite! That thing is going to be bad ass!

But, maybe flip the blackwing if getting it at msrp? Not sure of the mark up on those now, but iirc, they're going high.

Problem with flipping around here is we pay over 15% tax and you can't recoup them if your not buying another car in the same dealer.

Best would be to buy both and keep the one I like best of course. Also keep in mind this will be summer semi-daily track days season fun car.

[Ska8139]

Blackwing. It might the greatest sports sedan made in many, many years if not ever. If I didn’t love wagons so much and didn’t need or want the added utility, it’s the rare car I’d trade mine for.

[CanuckM]

Allow me to give you mes deux sous.

Since you have the M4 CSL already, I would go for the CT5V Blackwing. That vehicle (assuming you got a manual allocation) is the swan song for one of the best engines ever made by GM. A little exhaust work and it will sound like a C7 Z06 going down the back straights which is ear shattering performance. Assuming you don't track at LCMT where they kick you out for sneezing too loudly.

I am a big fan of the G80 in manual (waiting for #2) but since you have the CSL, why not switch it up and get a the V B/W? (dibs if you ever sell) Some cities like Ottawa got 2 or 3 only. (Ask me how I know)

A good choice either way!

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by CanuckM

Allow me to give you mes deux sous.

Since you have the M4 CSL already, I would go for the CT5V Blackwing. That vehicle (assuming you got a manual allocation) is the swan song for one of the best engines ever made by GM. A little exhaust work and it will sound like a C7 Z06 going down the back straights which is ear shattering performance. Assuming you don't track at LCMT where they kick you out for sneezing too loudly.

I am a big fan of the G80 in manual (waiting for #2) but since you have the CSL, why not switch it up and get a the V B/W? (dibs if you ever sell) Some cities like Ottawa got 2 or 3 only. (Ask me how I know)

A good choice either way!

Man you just out the hammer on it, sadly I'll have to decline just for that reason I had magically forgot. The sound limite at LCMT, I track 8-10 days there per summer...

Same reason I sold my 718 GTS 2.5 last fall. The CSL will probably not stay because I need the back seats so back to G80 6MT.

[PLF69]

The call to tell the dealer I was passing on the Blackwing was heartbreaking.

But ultimately I think the call to cancel the Malachite M3 would of been even worse.

[CanuckM]

Originally Posted by PLF69

The call to tell the dealer I was passing on the Blackwing was heartbreaking.

But ultimately I think the call to cancel the Malachite M3 would of been even worse.

Either way you end up with a great car! Malachite is stunning. Not sure what region of QC you're part of but I'll prob run into you at some point! I try to attend 2-3x/season otherwise I am at CMP which is local to me.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by CanuckM

Either way you end up with a great car! Malachite is stunning. Not sure what region of QC you're part of but I'll prob run into you at some point! I try to attend 2-3x/season otherwise I am at CMP which is local to me.

Always great to meet other passionates

I'm on the wrong side for track days, just LCMT is a 3 hour drive. CMP was Mosport right ? I'm going there on July 26th !

[Schn3ll]

Wow, so let me get this straight, you gave up on one of the most rare / limited, last of its kind v8 sedans because you occasionally track with noise restrictions?

You don't think that Cadillac, who races at one of the worst tracks for noise restriction (Laguna Seca) for IMSA, would have an exhaust mode on the valved exhaust system to accommodate the noise restrictions? (spoiler: they have a quiet mode)

The M3 is a dime a dozen, they will make them for years to come, you could order another one tomorrow. I believe there are less than 3,000 CT5 blackwings ever made thus far, I think they pump out that many M3/M4 in a month.

I smell a huge regret coming...

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Schn3ll

Wow, so let me get this straight, you gave up on one of the most rare / limited, last of its kind v8 sedans because you occasionally track with noise restrictions?

You don't think that Cadillac, who races at one of the worst tracks for noise restriction (Laguna Seca) for IMSA, would have an exhaust mode on the valved exhaust system to accommodate the noise restrictions? (spoiler: they have a quiet mode)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OkNU9QlqC4

The M3 is a dime a dozen, they will make them for years to come, you could order another one tomorrow. I believe there are less than 3,000 CT5 blackwings ever made thus far, I think they pump out that many M3/M4 in a month.

I smell a huge regret coming...

I agree there definitely is regret and it seems insignificant as a reason but doing this activity witch I deeply love is quite demanding, all the hours of driving, the time not doing business, the time away from family and the cost all adds up in a way that risking losing my whole day (It happened to me with the Porsche) is a risk I don't want to take.

I do have some other reasons because of the number of track days I do, the Blackwing doesn't have much support as far as aftermarket for track duty, track pads, tires, wheels, brake cooling etc.

[Schn3ll]

Originally Posted by PLF69

I agree there definitely is regret and it seems insignificant as a reason but doing this activity witch I deeply love is quite demanding, all the hours of driving, the time not doing business, the time away from family and the cost all adds up in a way that risking losing my whole day (It happened to me with the Porsche) is a risk I don't want to take.

I do have some other reasons because of the number of track days I do, the Blackwing doesn't have much support as far as aftermarket for track duty, track pads, tires, wheels, brake cooling etc.

I can respect that, if you are really going hard on the track, consumables become a much bigger concern. Rareness/uniqueness do have their drawbacks.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Schn3ll

I can respect that, if you are really going hard on the track, consumables become a much bigger concern. Rareness/uniqueness do have their drawbacks.

One of my buddies tried to track a GLA45 AMG a few years ago, he was freaking fast on RS4 tires and was having a blast but lack of brake pads availability made him sadly sell it.

[Forzanerazzurri]

As much as I love the M3, I would take a CT5-V BW over a manual G80 with no hesitation.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by PLF69

I agree there definitely is regret and it seems insignificant as a reason but doing this activity witch I deeply love is quite demanding, all the hours of driving, the time not doing business, the time away from family and the cost all adds up in a way that risking losing my whole day (It happened to me with the Porsche) is a risk I don't want to take.

I know you already passed on the allocation but a 5BW in tour mode for the exhaust is quieter than my 4BW in track mode. It's not loud.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by strohw

I know you already passed on the allocation but a 5BW in tour mode for the exhaust is quieter than my 4BW in track mode. It's not loud.

Is this confirmed because many cars end up opening them if thermal loads ends being too much.

[strohw]

Originally Posted by PLF69

Is this confirmed because many cars end up opening them if thermal loads ends being too much.

Definitely possible. There are a couple of GM engineers on the BW forum that could answer that question if you decided to go that direction. I'm not sure how they do it at Laguna but we have 1 track here that measures. People just lift near the booth but I can understand if you don't want to do that.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by strohw

Definitely possible. There are a couple of GM engineers on the BW forum that could answer that question if you decided to go that direction. I'm not sure how they do it at Laguna but we have 1 track here that measures. People just lift near the booth but I can understand if you don't want to do that.

Yes Laguna is easy since there is only one measeument at the boot. At LCMT you never know where the micros as they change place all the time and we heard there can be 4 or more during a track day. They are brutal about it.

[MCM4]

It appears the decision is made. Malachite - incredible call! Congratulations, great car!

But as far as manual transmissions go, do yourself a favor and don't ever drive a manual Blackwing (5 or 4). They blow the BMW box away. And if laps times matter, the Caddy easily wins there too.

I bought an M4 Comp xDrive last year. What a cool machine, I really loved it and won't knock it. But against a Blackwing, one is a real driver's car, and the other is just a really nice car. I wanted a driver's car, so I dumped my M4 at a chunky loss and got my Blackwing. It is an utter smile machine and I have no regrets. The paint is not as good, the BMW had a sexier interior (ahem, talking ID7 here, not the deplorable 8 in which case I gotta go Blackwing). But the feelings I get driving the BW are simply amazing. My M4 fell far short in that regard.

[Tyga11]

There is no wow factor with the Blackwing. The car is very bland.

For that kind of money, I would get an RS7 or an RS6 all day.

[Schn3ll]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

There is no wow factor with the Blackwing. The car is very bland.

For that kind of money, I would get an RS7 or an RS6 all day.

Spoken like someone who’s never driven any of the cars mentioned.

RS6/7 engine is lazy and boring (using a corporate engine), car is heavy and ponderous (air suspension) and does not feel sporty at all - with no manual option.

Conversely, the Blackwing is one of the best V8’s ever made (made by hand, sound, power/torque) and it is an insane powertrain with great mag ride suspension, resulting in some of the best 4 door lap times ever posted on track. If you actually drove one and didn’t think it was infinitely more exciting than the RS cars, then you don’t have a pulse.

Who’s giving you your opinions?

[LuvMyE92]

FWIW I had a Chevy SS, which is no BW, but it was widely regarded as the closest thing to an E39 M5. I found the styling to be bland, the driving enjoyment was nil and the power was disappointing. The guy I sold it to said the same thing. "I thought it would be faster". That said, the chassis was really nice and I had few problems with it. The tech was 5 years old when it was new. GM.

If I coulda gotten a BW instead of the M4, I probably would have, but no dealers around here will talk to me. And I don't pay over MSRP for nuttin'.

As for the unavailability of upgraded brake pads - that's nonsense. I had a special Brembo (before they became so ubiquitous) setup on my C4 Corvette, and it was a piece of cake, albeit expensive, to get custom pads made by Performance Friction. I just sent them a tracing of the backing pad, specified the compound I wanted, and a few weeks later, a new set of pads.