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SPECIAL REPORT: State of Performance : )

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SpaceRider
11/13/2007 3:48:55 AM



SPECIAL REPORT: The state of performance


For automaker performance divisions, things are looking up

Times keep changing, but the demand for performance cars remains constant.



From the earliest days of the automobile, leadership has been measured in terms of vehicle performance. Whether the yardstick was horsepower, handling, racing victories or aerodynamics, an automaker's prestige--and the ability to sell more cars or command higher prices--went hand in hand with performance.

Regulatory and marketplace pressures to address issues of safety, pollution and fuel efficiency took priority and commanded most of the OEMs' engineering resources in the 1970s and '80s, though. These were the nightmare years for performance enthusiasts. Dismal prospects in the showrooms opened the door for the rapid expansion of the aftermarket performance industry, which became a gigantic business that gathers annually at this time of year under the banner of SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association.

But OEMs couldn't abandon the segment. Sales and image demanded that they have their own high profiles. So they acquired big aftermarket companies (as Mercedes-Benz did with AMG) or developed their own skunkworks and marketing arms (such as BMW M Sport or Ford SVT) to stay in the game.

Today, the OEMs are again under pressure, with the accolades that used to come with performance cars going to pioneers in alternative drivetrain technology and high fuel efficiency. Toyota's halo car is now neither a luxury nor a performance model but the Prius hybrid. An energy bill now wending its way through Congress almost certainly will demand steep increases in fuel efficiency.

Will stricter regulations and the greening of the market bring a new dark age for performance-car lovers?

AutoWeek surveyed the performance divisions of top automakers. The results indicate the state of performance is good. Rather than a new dark age, makers foresee a surge in the segment.

"We are at the dawning of a second muscle-car war," says Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer of Ford's SVT. He points to the Ford GT500, Chevrolet Camaro, Nissan GT-R and Dodge Challenger. Ford, he says, is "completely focused on staying on the top of that mountain."

Beyond that, automakers are seeing growth in their own parts operations. "People want that anodized cold-air intake that matches their car and gets them 15 more horsepower," says Kevin Miller, senior manager of Mopar brand marketing and performance at Chrysler. "We see the trend growing and increased spending on customized vehicles."

Some of the newest technology isn't easily translated into the aftermarket. Toyota has tried applying hybrid technology as a performance factor, treating the electric half of the powertrain like a supercharger to boost power. The electronic sophistication required doesn't lend itself to an aftermarket retrofit, and other makers are not impressed by the results.

Gerhard Richter, head of development at BMW's M, says his company is looking at such advanced technologies but that existing hybrid systems are too heavy and compromise weight distribution too much to be considered as a way to boost performance, at least for now. "If there is a breakthrough in weight with the batteries, then it may become attractive."

Other advanced technology stands ready to maintain the performance segment even if more stringent regulations quash the current rash of large-displacement engines making 500 hp or more. Direct gas injection, forced induction and electronic control of everything from valve timing to gearshifting have proven beneficial to both performance and economy.

"There's no doubt in my mind that there will continue to be p
SpaceRider
11/13/2007 4:02:11 AM
 ~ EyE Candy ~

 

 

Official Photos & Info: 2008 Dodge Viper ACR - Car News

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Strictly for the hard-core: an even faster, furious-er Viper.

BY STEVE SILER,
November 2007

We Americans are not exactly known for our prudence. We don’t solve problems or manage our dilemmas by cutting back on excess but rather through shocking, awe-inspiring displays of brute force.
Case in point: the Dodge Viper SRT10, a beast with an innate piss-on-the-world brashness we needn’t explicate any further. And so, when we heard that Dodge had readied “the ultimate Viper for road and track,” did we expect Dodge to use exotic materials and strip the big coupe of needless weight, à la Ferrari Scuderia or Porsche 911 GT2, or simply add massive aero appendages and buckets of horsepower? The latter. Duh.

Whoops! Not so fast. This time, the SRT folks pulled a Colin Chapman on us and added not horsepower but lightness in creating the new Viper ACR. It is only 40 fewer pounds than the 3450-pound Viper coupe, but that’s still lighter. And if there’s a car that doesn’t need a horsepower boost, that would be the Viper.
Indeed, the standard Viper’s 600-hp, 8.4-liter V-10 with 560 pound-feet of torque produces as much raw output as most hyper-tuned, track-only racers, and thus SRT left it alone and kept other mods simple but effective. This also helped Dodge keep the car at an as-yet-unannounced target price point of less than $100,000.
Now, 40 pounds might not seem like a lot, but beneath that figure are two important considerations. That amount is the net weight saving after some 20 or so pounds of aero bits and other minor hardware additions were tacked on, and then you subtract some 60 pounds of weight loss of the unsprung rotating variety, i.e., tires, wheels, brake discs. This is not an insignificant sum and a measure that promises terrific braking and suspension reflexes.
Specifically, the ACR swaps the Viper’s standard wheels for lighter, sexier, glossy black forged-aluminum Sidewinder wheels. Behind them are Brembo brake calipers like those on the stock Viper, only they clamp down hard on two-piece, slotted lightweight rotors.
SpaceRider
11/13/2007 4:12:31 AM
Competition for GM, & the New Camaro
 

2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt - Car News
 Click `2 to continue with competition : )

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Forty years after the release of the movie, Ford is yet again bringing back this limited-edition Mustang.


November 2007

If you haven’t seen the movie Bullitt, or it has been awhile since you experienced that now-famous seven-minute chase scene between Steve McQueen in his 1968 Ford Mustang GT and a Dodge Charger, then drop by your local video store for a refresher between now and January. That’s when Ford will start building a limited run of 2008 Mustang Bullitts for sale in the U.S. and Canada.
The 7700 Mustang Bullitts are expected to sell out within a month or two of going on sale—every 2001 Mustang Bullitt (5000 were built) was spoken for within about 60 days. The 2008 model, which is being serialized, will sell for $31,075. It will be formally unveiled at November’s L.A. auto show.
This latest take on the car made famous by the movie—or was it vice versa?—is deliberately understated. No shiny bits, scoops, or spoilers, and little badging or nomenclature. Like the original ’68 and the reprised 2001 Mustang Bullitt, the ’08 marks the return of the exclusive Dark Highland Green paint. The only other choice: black.
The Bullitt name appears in the metal sill plates, in the center of the leather-wrapped steering wheel, and in the gun-sight graphic centered in the faux gas cap on the decklid.
Cowboy6622
11/13/2007 4:30:47 AM
woo hoo :)
SpaceRider
11/13/2007 5:31:50 AM
Older news, but interesting on

GM Performance Vehicles - Track Thrash
"
We Burn Rubber In Bad GM Iron
writer: Rick Jensen
photographer: Rick Jensen, Jay Heath

Kevin Helmintoller is a big fan of red, if you hadn't noticed. He's also a fan of GM, which Vette Editor Jay Heath and I saw when we rolled up to his Richmond, Va., home. Lined up in the driveway were five bright red GM performance vehicles: a heads/cam 2004 SSR, a heads/cam 2005 GTO, a 436-cube Mallett 2001 Z06, and a brand-new, bone-stock 2006 Z06. Even Kevin's tow rig is bad: a supercharged Gibbs Avalanche!
These hot rides and their owner were ready for the 30-minute trip to the track for a day of racing. Kevin, who we would soon find out is a pretty good gear-banger, had invited us down to Virginia to sample his goods on the 1320. "Come down and we'll hit the track. We'll drive 'em hard--if they break, they break," he quipped. We think we like this guy.
This caravan of red rockets made its way to Richmond Dragway, a scenic strip east of Richmond proper, where General Manager Johnny Davis was waiting for us, VHT at the ready. The track was quickly prepped and we were ready to go. We made a couple of passes in everything except the '01 Z06, and out of respect for Kevin and his high-dollar, mostly stock drivetrain toys, the stick cars were not powershifted. Kevin turned in solid times all day long, and our times and Kevin's were usually only separated by a good tenth or so.
Click on Image to go to Gallery  WoW, Space wants : )






When your tow vehicle is strapped with a blower, what's the harm in making a few passes down the strip? Kevin did just that in his Gibbs Avalanche. Can you believe this 7,000-plus-pound monster ran a 13.46 at 99 mph, dusting the SSR by three tenths in the process?


Kevin and his dad, Mont, in front of Kevin's hot GMs.
2004 SSR 325-inch V-8 Four-speed auto
325-inch V-8 Four-speed auto
MODS: Cartek Stage 2X heads, custom Stage 2 cam (218/224, .567 lift, 114 LSA), headers, ported TB, intake, 2800-stall converter, 4.10 gears

[link=http://www.gmhightechperformance.com/features/0607htp_gm_performance_cars_track_test_feature/photo_06.html][image]http://images.gmhightechperformance.com/features/0607htp_03_s+gm_performance_vehicles+2004_chevy_ssr_front_quarter.jpg[/im
kweef
11/13/2007 9:27:43 AM
god i would love to have kevins cars...plus my maroon monte
rj
11/13/2007 9:34:18 AM
It is only 40 fewer pounds than the 3450-pound Viper coupe, but that’s still lighter
 
That's not even 1/10th at the track.
 
04 Intimidator
11/13/2007 2:35:16 PM
Tons of Fun!!!

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