Spy Photos Catch Ford Testing Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Against Mustang

Ford CEO Jim Farley started a media fire last month when he said that a Mustang four-door sedan isn’t out of the question. And while that seemed like it could have just been a throwaway line, Farley’s fire will be stoked even further, now that a Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing was spotted at Ford’s Dearborn test track testing alongside, you guessed it, a Mustang.

It’s worth noting that there currently isn’t a single sedan in Ford’s U.S. lineup, so Ford’s possession of a CT4-V Blackwing could be for benchmarking a future sedan, such as the one Farley hinted at back in May. If that’s the case, however, Ford isn’t just testing out any old sedan, but one of the best, most capable, and most exciting performance sedans on the market. Y’know, the kind you’d study if you’re building a high-performance Mustang sedan.

Seen alongside Caddy’s smaller sport sedan in these photos is a Mustang GT Convertible with a 5.0-liter V8. It isn’t just a Ford employee trolling their coworkers by buying a rival sports car, either, as you can see some data-recording equipment mounted to the roof and front bumper of the Cadillac. It would seem that Ford is doing more than just observing here, it’s actually taking notes.

Why use the V6-powered CT4-V Blackwing rather than the V8-powered CT5 version? It could be due to the CT4’s size, weight, and price point, which is where any future Mustang might hang, rather than the larger, heavier, more expensive CT5-V Blackwing. Farley is pretty adamant about keeping V8s around, but you never know what could happen, especially in rather long product pipelines.

Of course, this isn’t proof that there will be a Mustang sedan—nor that one is even in the works. Automakers often benchmark competitor vehicles for their own internal research—but it does point in that direction, albeit gently. With the death of the Chevy Camaro, there isn’t a huge need for Ford to make a Mustang sedan since it has the entire pony car segment to itself. But with the arrival of Dodge’s inline-six-powered Charger sedan, Farley might lean in that direction.

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