If it’s GM-style performance that you’re after, then you could do a lot worse than the supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4. Of course, once that’s decided, the question becomes this – do you want your LT4 delivered with luxury and refinement, or raw, unbridled power? That’s the match-up posed in the following video, which pits the Hennessey Exorcist Chevy Camaro ZL1 against the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing in an exhaust sound battle.
For those readers who may be unaware, both of these rides are equipped with the supercharged 6.2L V8 LT4 engine. However, the ICE-based noises these two machines can deliver differ in a massive way.
Let’s start with the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. Offered as the most track-capable production machine to ever wear the Caddy crest, the CT5-V Blackwing is rated from the factory at 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque, all of which hits the rear wheels through either the GM six-speed manual or the GM 10-speed automatic. The CT5-V Blackwing is also equipped with an active exhaust system, which uses a series of valves to control the spent gasses in order to modulate the exhaust sound, offering either a quieter, more refined exhaust note, or a louder, more aggressive note, as determined by the user.
Then we have the Hennessey Exorcist Chevy Camaro ZL1. Built by Hennessey Performance Engineering, a well-known tuner out of Sealy, Texas, the Exorcist was designed with one very specific goal in mind – to bring the heat to the Dodge Challenger Demon. To that end, this upgraded ZL1 ups the ante with a new 2.9L Magnuson supercharger, ported cylinder heads, an upgraded cam, new headers, and a few other tweaks, all which boost the LT4 up to 1,000 horsepower and 883 pound-feet of torque.
And yes – it’s quite loud as well.
Still, louder isn’t always better. So which of these two machines tickles your ears? Hit play to find out:
Comment
I’ll take the one that is only loud when you want it to be, not the one that is obnoxious from the start. The type of car that is always owned by that one dick who starts it up 6am Saturday morning and revs in is driveway a few times before he finally drives off.