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CARDRIVER This is the first of two Blackwing models that are the last gasoline-powered V models the luxury maker will ever produce. Farewell concerts too often aren't the last of anything. Cream, The Who, Kiss, and even Ol 'Blue Eyes himself Frank Sinatra all returned to the stage after a so-called final tour. Cadillac, however, does not appear to be bluffing when it says that the CT4-V Blackwing and its larger, V-8-powered CT5-V Blackwing brother will be the last of the gas-powered V cars. Even if plans change and somehow more gas-powered Cadillac Vs come after these, like any farewell tour, the CT4-V Blackwing is something you don't want to miss. The CT4-V Blackwing is an evolution of the ATS-V, a sports sedan graced with handling and performance but held back by an unrefined engine and a child-size back seat. The new car has a similarly tight rear seat, but a larger door opening makes it easier for adults to get in and out. Launched together, comparing the CT4-V Blackwing to the headlining CT5-V Blackwing might make the smaller sedan seem like an opening act. After all, the smaller Blackwing's twin-turbo V-6, an engine that shares a lot with the V-6 in a Chevrolet Colorado, is nearly 200 horsepower off the other Blackwing's 668-hp V-8. Nearly 500 horsepower is still a lot of firepower, and the 472-hp 3.6-liter V-6 enjoys a linear and immediate — for a turbo — throttle response. And this engine has learned how to sing. Inside and out, it sounds nothing like the 464-hp version in the old ATS-V. When the variable exhaust bypasses the muffler, it sounds angry, purposeful, and intimidating. To enhance the V-6 notes inside, the AKG audio system plays actual recordings of the V's engine through the speakers. It's more like autotune than the outright fakery of Milli Vanilli. Equipped with the $ 3175 10-speed automatic transmission, it should be able to bolt to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. A no-cost six-speed manual will add a few tenths. In your mind, however, the manual will seem quicker thanks to a no-lift-shift feature. Keep your right foot pinned to the firewall, stab the clutch, and grab the next gear. The Tremec TR-6060 shifts with ease and accuracy. And if you do select the manual, Cadillac includes a bonus: titanium connecting rods. Roughly six times more expensive than the automatic's forged-steel rods, the lightweight material reduces reciprocating mass, further improving engine response for manual buyers. To make the manual version financially feasible, Cadillac uses what it calls "additive manufacturing." That's marketing spin for "some of the parts are 3-D printed." In addition to manual-specific HVAC ducting around the center console, the shift-pattern medallion on top of the shifter comes from a 3-D printer. If you're wondering about burning your hand on the shifter's H-pattern, engineers went so far as to add additional material below the metal trim to draw heat away and avoid burning the driver on hot days. Cadillac patented the design. BMW still offers a manual in its M3, but what BMW forgot, Cadillac has learned. Steering feel, also an ATS-V strength, is alive and well despite the reports that it died with electrically assisted steering. The 4-V's wheel is brimming with feedback and just-right effort levels that avoid qualifying for a CrossFit workout. There is also a very Ferrari-manettino-looking switch on the steering wheel. This $ 500 option makes it simple to cycle through the numerous stability-and-traction-control programs of General Motors's Performance Traction Management (PTM) system. There are five PTM modes: One is for the wet, two have an element of stability control that use the brakes to rein in sloppy cornering, and the upper two use the traction control to maximize corner exit speed. The raciest mode is aptly named Race. PTM works so well that development drivers use it while chasing lap times. And if you didn't already know, the CT4-V Blackwing stomped a 2: 52.5 lap on Virginia International Raceway's 4.1-mile Grand Course, the same configuration we use for Lightning Lap. That's a strong time for a 3850-pound sedan. The only four-door we've lapped quicker in 14 Lighting Lap events is the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S, which posted 2: 49.3. The next slowest sedan is the BMW M5 Competition with a time of 2: 54.0. A lot of credit is due to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires size 255 / 35R-18 and 275 / 35R-18. These aren't off-the-shelf Michelins. While Most 4S tires use two compounds, these Cadillac-specific tires use three different rubber compounds. The third one is essentially an R compound found in streetable track tires, such as the Pilot Sport Cup 2. Keeping those special tires in constant contact with the tarmac are GM's latest magnetorheological dampers, or MR 4.0. The ride-handling balance is as good as we've ever experienced in the segment. The lovely ride and supportive seats offer multihour comfort and appropriate bolstering for track work. There are drive modes that set the steering effort, powertrain aggression, engine volume, brake feel, and damper stiffness. Normal, Sport, Snow / Ice, and Track are preset from Cadillac, but owners can tailor their setup in V Mode and My Mode. The V Mode has a steering wheel shortcut on the other side of the PTM switch, and My Mode will remain the default setting after a key cycle, so if you dial in a magic combination it won't be lost every time you start the car . We never found a need to play weekend engineer because the Normal mode proved perfect for the winding roads of North Carolina and Virginia and Track mode made us right at home on VIR's Full Course. The Cadillac's brakes were happy on the track too. Fade free and strong, we noticed that engineers added a separate parking-brake caliper for the rear instead of a drum-in-hat parking brake, a change that saved more than two pounds of rotating mass.

BBC Paris St-Germain are in talks with Lionel Messi's representatives about the Argentina forward joining the Ligue 1 club following his Barcelona exit. BBC Sport has been told the Messi camp contacted PSG on Thursday once it became clear Barcelona were unable to honor the contract they had agreed. Further talks are taking place on Saturday amid increasing confidence a deal can be put together. Barca say Messi will give a news conference on Sunday at 11:00 BST. On Thursday, the Catalan club said Messi, a free agent, would not stay at the club. They blamed "financial and structural obstacles" for the player leaving after 21 years. On Friday, Barca president Joan Laporta said keeping Messi could have put the club at risk for 50 years. Messi, 34, has been a free agent since 1 July when his contract expired. He had agreed to a new five-year contract on reduced wages - but the club still had to slash their wage bill to afford him, and were unable to do so. The Argentina captain is Barcelona's record scorer with 672 goals and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and seven Copa del Reys, as well as claiming the Ballon d'Or on a record six occasions. On Saturday Barca boss Ronald Koeman said he wished Messi the best. Writing on Twitter, Koeman said: "Still hard to understand that you will not play for FC Barcelona anymore. "Thanks for everything you have done for our Leo club. I really enjoyed the full season we worked together. "I am impressed with your work ethic and desire to win. It makes you the best player in the world. For now, I wish you and your family the best!" It is felt Messi is comfortable with the idea of joining PSG, given he knows a number of their players already. Neymar played at Barcelona from 2013-2017 before his world record £ 200m move to PSG, and Messi remains close to the Brazilian. Messi was pictured with Neymar, plus Argentina team-mates Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes and fellow PSG star Marco Verrati on holiday earlier this month. The deal would be possible under Financial Fair Play because PSG's recruitment this summer has centered largely around out-of-contract players in the form of defender Sergio Ramos, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, while right-back Achraf Hakimi joined from Inter Milan . This is the latest chapter in a saga that began a year ago when Messi first revealed he wanted to leave the only club he'd ever played for. Although he ultimately relented on taking Barcelona to court in order to get out of the last year of his contract, he contractual situation was never fully settled. Although it seemed as though the election of Laporta to return to Barcelona as president made it likely Messi would stay, the details were never completely ironed out and now, it seems, La Liga rules continue to stand in the way.