SMS 620 Camaro From Saleen
Steve Saleen completes his SMS muscle car trio with the introduction of the SMS 620 Camaro. The Mustang and Challenger have already received the SMS brand treatment in the forms of the SMS 460 Mustang and the SMS 570 Challenger.
The 0-60 specs are 4.3 seconds for the 620 and a hair above 4.0 seconds for the 620X. Acceleration is provided courtesy of a 6.2L GM V-8. A supercharger will help boost performance to 575 hp and 600 ft-lbs of torque. The more extensively tuned 620X will get 715 hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque. Owners of the SMS Camaro can choose from a manual or automatic transmission.
To help you handle all that brute power, Saleen has provided the SMS Camaro with upgraded brakes and suspension. To keep things stylish, they’ve done up the interior with leather and fancy gauges.
Devon GTX D.O.A.
This didn’t take long: the independently built Devon GTX sports car has been terminated.
The reason? The GTX is based on the Dodge Viper; with the Viper going into retirement, the tiny Devon team has no supplier. The GTX gained attention last summer with some solid track numbers at Laguna Seca, the support of racer Justin Bell, and stylish looks.
As we all know, however: building a car company isn’t easy.
Video: The Birth of a Polyfiat
Your Next Chrysler Could Be a Lancia in Drag
The Fiat Group’s is looking to kill two birds with one stone. Lancia is Fiat’s entry-level luxury brand, a sort of Italian Buick. And like Buick, Lancia has been suffering from a stale image. Fiat execs’ strategy will gradually merge the American Chrysler and the Italian Lancia into one. The new Lancia Delta will be the first bilateral vehicle, set to be showcased this coming year. The Chrysler 300 will serve as the basis for Lancia’s next full-size saloon, the Sebring will cover the next mid-sizer, and the Dodge/Chrysler crossover architecture will be exported to Italy.
The Ten Best Concepts of the Decade #5: Chrysler Firepower
The Firepower seemed like the next logical step in the Viper evolutionary chain. The old Dodge two-seater had grown a little long in the tooth by 2005, no longer the raw road monster it had once been. The Firepower closely resembled the Viper, but progressed the design to appear more upscale–even lavish–with chrome, creases, and leather.
Being a Chrysler, the Firepower was more about grand touring than all-out performance. The 6.1 L Hemi V8 put out seventy-five fewer horses (425 total) than the Viper’s V10, but the coupe made up for it with its shiny interior, stylish looks, and claimed 4.5 sec. 0-60 time.
It doesn’t take a scientist to see where the problems lay. The Firepower would’ve ended up as another low-volume, low-dollar exotic (a la the Viper). Oddly enough, the Firepower’s rumored target price was a mere $50,000. Of course, it never would’ve sold for such a low sum without major sacrifice. A shortage of company dollars and a lack of demand left the Firepower to the already-packed Chrysler bin. Soon after its mid-decade debut, the Chrysler Group began its slow meltdown…which we are still seeing today.
Alfa-Romeo in Dangerous State
There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Alfa here in the US. With all the talk of the pretty cars and Italian style, observers ignore the horrid rep Alfas (and Fiats) have in reliability. For the past decade, Alfa-Romeo’s been trying to serve as the Italian Audi–which comes to a wannabe BMW. The overweight, front-drive convertibles and trouble-prone saloons aside, Alfa’s place in the Euro sales charts has been slipping big-time. Total sales are down by almost half of what they were a decade ago. Alfa and Fiat heads are looking to converge the Euro-American vehicles with Chrysler corresponding to Alfa and the dying Lancia, and Dodge hooked-up to Fiat. We’re betting on the Marchionne Magic burning out by 2015.
McCain Gives Thumbs-Down to Chrysler
“It was all about the unions. The unions didn’t want to have their very generous contracts renegotiated so we put $80 billion into both General Motors and Chrysler, and anybody believes that Chrysler is going to survive, I’d like to meet them.”
So goes Senator John McCain.
The Arizona senator spoke to The Detroit News while attending a Phoenix racing event. McCain’s grim prediction comes amid the continually declining state of the Chrysler brand and dismal words for CEO Sergio Marchionne’s business plan.
McCain went on: “We see the automotive industry, and my heart goes out to the citizens of Detroit, really in the tank, and yet we have manufacturing plants all over the South, which are not bound by some of the labor rules and contracts that make them non-competitive.”
Image courtesy of Caricature Shack.
The Closest Thing You’re Gonna Get to a New ‘Cuda
Norm Kraus has brought up a new little experiment–or, rather, two experiments. He and a team of customizers have converted the Challenger into a proper ragtop. Not only that, they’ve also changed the body to create a “new” ‘Cuda. Both cars feature the old 426 Hemi V-8, now hooked to a Keene Bell supercharger to put out 725 hp. The pistol-grip shifter is back, but new-school tech’s been put in with an adjustable suspension.
Viper to Stay with Chrysler
There was concern earlier in the spring when it was announced the Viper license was up for sale. A tussle ensued, with clashing claims over how much was offered to take ownership of the Viper automotive name and assembly plant. Robert Nardelli, Chrysler’s outgoing CEO, stated there were no worthy offers; others disagreed, claiming offers as much as three times the desired amount.
None of that matters now, for the Viper will stay within the Chrysler network–now a property of Fiat. Chrysler’s media office announced the license and production will remain under current ownership, though the long-term future of the Viper is unclear. There are no major plans to replace the current generation in the product planning department, but early ideas have been produced within the Chrysler design arm.
Hurst Honors the Late King of Pop with a New Challenger Special
Not really.
The Hurst gang is putting out an entry-level “Competition Plus” edition of the Dodge Challenger, for those unable or unwilling to fork over the heavy expense of higher models. The Competition Plus is really an upgraded setup akin to what you saw with the Shelby GT: there’s a special Eibach suspension, a fierce Magnaflow exhaust, 20″ alloys, exclusive color schemes, blackened labeling, a large hood scoop, a short-throw shifter, and an embroidered interior matched to the exterior tone.
It may surprise you all to hear that this could be our favorite Challenger yet–we stress the word could. The upgrades are practical and everything looks good, but we’ll hold off until we see final pricing.
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