The Return Of Shelby GT500

Read the news, folks. The Shelby GT500 returns in 2006, with at least
450 horsepower. Personally, though I'd like to see an even 500... make
that name GT500 mean something...

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By Brett Clanton

Juiced-up baseball sluggers may be under fire, but juiced-up cars and
trucks are all the rage.

And Detroit's auto bosses won't be taking the Fifth this week about
rampant performance enhancement at the New York auto show, where yet
another wave of muscle cars debut.

The new models from Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, which range from sport utility
vehicles to family cars, are feeding a renewed appetite for bigger
engines despite rising gas prices.

The new models aren't designed to be big sellers, but are developed to
attract new customers who may end up buying something else.

GM is leading the charge in New York, unveiling several high-horsepower
cars, pickups and sport utility vehicles wearing the SS moniker.

Available this fall, the 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS is the first SUV
from GM with the super sport designation.

It's powered by a 6.0 liter, 391 horsepower engine, which provides
enough oomph to rocket the SUV from zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

"The TrailBlazer SS definitely emphasizes the sport in an SUV," said
Brent Dewar, GM North America vice president of marketing and
advertising.

Joining the TrailBlazer with the SS designation are the Chevrolet
Cobalt SS Supercharged compact car, Impala SS, Monte Carlo SS, Malibu
SS sedan and Malibu Maxx SS hatchback, Silverado SS pickup, and
Chevrolet SSR Boulevard Roadster pickup.

Under the hoods of the Malibu SS and Malibu Maxx SS will be a new 3900
V-6 engine with 240 horsepower. The 2.0 SC engine powering the Cobalt
SS produces 205 horsepower. The SSR Boulevard Roadster is powered by
the same LS2 engine in the TrailBlazer SS and the 2005 Corvette.

The Silverado SS is based on the 1500 series extended cab and is
powered by a high-output version of GM's Vortec 6000 V8 engine which
produces a burly 345 horsepower.

GM also will introduce the Cadillac XLR-V, the third in its
high-performance Cadillac V-series.

Ford is introducing a pair of high-performance offerings from its
Special Vehicle Team unit.

First out of the gate, in 2006, will be a Shelby Cobra GT500. Based on
the redesigned Ford Mustang, its engine will generate more than 450
horsepower, the highest output of any SVT product.

Ford also will show off Sport Trac Adrenalin, which is due out in 2007.
A sport utility truck based on the next-generation Ford Explorer, the
Adrenalin features a 390 horsepower supercharged V-8 engine, SVT's
first six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Chrysler plans two new vehicles from its Street and Racing Technology
unit, which are sold under the SRT badge.

Chrysler is expected to unveil a pair of souped-up models, but is not
releasing details about the vehicles until Wednesday.

The automaker recently showed a Chrysler 300C SRT-8 sedan and Dodge
Magnum wagon featuring a 425 horsepower, 6.1 liter Hemi engine, which
injects more muscle into its standard 5.7 liter Hemi V8 with 340
horses.

Chrysler has also dropped a higher-output 4-cylinder engine in its
Dodge Neon compact car and a 500 horsepower V10 in a Dodge Ram pickup.

"In just two and a half years, we've created nine SRT vehicles, and we
continue to look for appropriate ways to expand the SRT lineup," said
Brian Zvibleman, a Chrysler spokesman.

U.S. demand for V-8 engines has risen annually since 1994, when 22.8
percent of models came equipped with a V-8 engine. Today, 30 percent of
new cars and trucks are sold with a V-8, the highest rate since 1985,
according to Ward's Automotive Reports. The average horsepower of
passenger vehicles has jumped from 168 horsepower in 1994 to 227 in
2004.

But even while horsepower his risen, fuel economy has stayed roughly
the same in recent years because automakers have learned how to build
bigger engines that are more efficient.

Chrysler, for instance, sells its V8 Hemi with a system that shuts off
half of the cylinders when a driver reaches cruising speed. The
automaker says the system reduces fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

But with gas prices hovering in the $2-per-gallon range, fueling any
V-8 engine is a drain on the pocket or purse.

Whether Detroit's new high-performance models sell or stall in the
coming years remains to be seen. But at the very least, they will make
great eye candy at the New York show this week.
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Patrick
'93 Cobra