2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon — 2010 New York Auto Show

What is it?
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

What's special about it?
To the delight of tens of people, Cadillac has made official what everyone knew was happening anyway by announcing that it will build a 556-horsepower CTS-V Sport Wagon. Cadillac is to unveil the monster wagon at the 2010 New York Auto Show.

We'd known about the thing for many months now, and wished for it for even longer. And the information and photographs of the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon neither surprise nor disappoint. Everything that the V sedan and coupe get, this wagon gets. That means, first and foremost, the monster LSA motor (making 556 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3,800). But lest you think Caddy wimped out on the wagon's specs, think again. It will be available with either the six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

It comes standard with the magnetically controlled dampers that work wonders on the sedan. It comes with the sticky Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 summer tires (255/40ZR19 in front and 285/35ZR19 rear). The big ol' Brembo brakes come on the wagon, of course. The excellent Recaro front seats are an option, just as on the sedan and coupe. The big difference between the wagon and its trunk-having siblings is that the wagon offers up a maximum 58 cubic feet of cargo storage with the rear seats folded (25.4 cubes when the rear seat is filled with likely frightened passengers). In this fashion, the CTS-V sport wagon is both spouse and mistress.

The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon will go on sale beginning in late 2010, with "limited availability," according to Cadillac. "Limited" will probably be enough to satisfy the super-high-performance wagon segment that is a niche within a niche within a nook within a cubbyhole in the American car market. At a later date, Cadillac will offer the CTS-V wagon in the Middle East as well as Europe, where there are enough people who buy such vehicles to justify the existence of the Audi RS6 Avant, BMW M5 Touring and Mercedes-Benz E63 wagon. Only Mercedes has ever offered quite this level of thumping performance goodness in a wagon body to Americans. And, according to company officials, E63 wagon buyers are some of the brand's most loyal, passionate and wealthy customers.

The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon pictured here, which will sit on the Cadillac stand in New York, serves another purpose. Its paint color and trimmings are the carmaker's attempt to gauge consumer reaction to some new style the company is considering. The "Midnight Silver" body color is not a production color, but was seen back some years ago on the monstrous Sixteen Concept. Cadillac is calling the wheels' finish "Lustrous Liquid Silver." The showcar's mesh grille inserts are rendered in a black chrome finish.

Cadillac, we do not care what color you paint the car. We're just happy you traveled all the way deep into our brains and brought forth this projection of our perfect car. Now add those integrated rear-seat child boosters we've been thinking about in this thing and let's get on with the driving.

It'll start at something like $64,000.

Inside Line says: Oh, hell yeah. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit