2012 Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V Hammer Wagon

The Cadillac CTS-V wagon is quite the sleeper.  Most people have no idea of the performance potential that lurks under its edgy sheet metal. But the folks at Hennessey Performance are well aware of what the CTS-V wagon can do, and they felt that it wasn’t enough.  So, they’ve backed up that feeling with this car, the Hammer Wagon…and they were foolish enough to give us the keys for a few days. So here we go!

This is not your usual MotorWeek road test. Yes, we’ve had loads of tuner cars in here before, but nothing quite like this 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Hennessey Hammer Wagon. Like many of you, we’ve seen the YouTube clips and just had to experience this beast for ourselves. 

Hennessey Performance is no stranger to pumping some serious muscle into existing iron, applying their trade to a wide range of products since the early nineties. One of their latest, this Hammer Wagon starts life as an already potent CTS-V Wagon. Upon arrival, Hennessey takes the 6.2-liter V8, adds a smaller pulley to the supercharger for more boost, upgrades the intercooler, ditches the exhaust manifolds for long tube headers and full stainless exhaust system, bolts on a Cold Air induction system, and drops in a 160-degree thermostat.  From there, it gets a complete Engine Management recalibration and thorough dyno tuning.

What’s the result? 658-horsepower and 661 pound feet of torque; both of those numbers are about a century higher than the stock CTS-V. And it all sounds mean as Hades. But, if you really want to be heard, electronic exhaust dump valves allow unimpeded exhaust flow and all the roar that comes with it, for off-road use only, of course. 

But as wonderfully ridiculous as all of this is, styling thankfully remains mostly stock, except for the huge windshield decal and 19-inch aluminum wheels, its standard CTS-V fare. Big chrome grille and air intakes highlight the front end, while a slight hood bulge gives you a hint at the thunder that’s under. There’s a tasteful amount of V-Badging and a rear fascia with dual exhaust cutouts.

Inside, there’s also small changes, but what there is, is pretty cool, like a button for the exhaust dump valve, and brackets under the trunk floor for adding nitrous. There’s the expected V suede leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, clear gauges with flashing shift indicator, and a boost gauge. And of course, there’s Cadillac’s pop-up nav. screen. 

Front seats are the optional sport Recaros. They offer good support for track work, but not the greatest comfort for daily use. Throw in a couple of V badges and a Hennessey serial numbered dash plaque and you’ve got a great looking, functional work environment. Rear seats are as comfortable as we remember, and all of the storage space that comes with a wagon is still in effect.  But enough of this, what can this thing actually do? 

Well, roaring down a quarter-mile’s worth Savannah Georgia’s Roebling Road Raceway’s long front straight, on street tires, we hit 126 miles per hour, and did it in just 11.8-seconds. 0-60 was dispatched in far less than half that at just 3.6-seconds. 

Despite all of that power, the Hammer is actually pretty easy to launch. Just get it rolling and feed in as much throttle as you dare. But, we’re not interested in cars that just go fast in a straight line, so we next tackled Roebling’s 9-turns, and quickly learned that the Hammer does not like to be driven at anything but full throttle. Anything less and it would spit and spurt through the whole corner. Oh, well… full throttle it is! While not truly borne for a road course, good feedback and flat cornering, thanks to Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride Control, does make for a fun ride, if still a handful. 

Brakes are a mix of standard CTS-V Brembo calipers with upgraded rotors and they held up just fine through a couple days of abuse. And at the end, the Hammer still carried us comfortably to a seafood dinner.

So, what does it cost to get this hammered? Well, start with the CTS-V’s base price of $65,390, add in engine mods, wheels, brake rotors, and exhaust dump valves, and you got a total of $95,040 for the full Hennessey treatment. While the CTS-V may be one of our favorite sleepers on the street, this Hennessey Hammer Wagon, takes it over the top. A sleeper no more, this is one naughty draggin’ wagon. 

But really, this is just the tip of the Hennessey iceberg, as they can pump up your CTS-V, or just about any other vehicle way beyond this one. And if that’s not enough, they’ll even sell you a 1,200-horsepower Lotus-derived Venom GT that is currently the fastest street legal car you can buy. So, stay tuned, maybe in a weak moment they’ll let us get our hands on one of those, too.