In: Real car stunts in moviesOut: Computer-generated cars in movies doing impossible things
In: Doritos Nacho Cheesier Big GrabOut: That a Nacho Cheesier Dorito will soak up a year's worth of moisture by the time you find it under your car's seat
In: Cutting down your old driveshaft to accommodate a longer transmission or rearendOut: Not having the money to order a new aluminum driveshaft that's the right length
In: Making a table using camshafts for legsOut: That you paid full price for each of those cams, and none were the right grind for your engine.
In: Making it from Santa Barbara to San Diego in under two hours early one Christmas morning when the freeways were empty and the cops were all with their families.Out: That no one believes you did it
In: Sound systems that let you jack your MP3 player directly into the amplifierOut: Trunk-mounted CD changers
In: Steel valve coversOut: Plastic valve covers
In: Going to the Sprint Car races on a perfect fall nightOut: Getting hit by a dirt clod at the Sprint Car races and winding up with a bruise the size of a grapefruit on your arm
In: Getting exactly the right jetting on your carburetorOut: When two weeks later, it's mysteriously not exactly the right jetting any more
Quick Test: Chevy Silverado SSThe supercharged, 380hp Ford SVT F-150 Lightning is a grin producer of the highest order, and the upcoming Dodge Ram SRT-10 will come armed with 500 hp from its Viper-sourced V-10 and Godzilla-like attitude. So where's Chevy's muscle truck? Well, it's here in the form of the Silverado SS.
Unlike Ford and Dodge, who build their performance pickups with a regular cab and short bed (to keep things as light as possible), Chevy starts with an extended cab, short-bed 1500-series truck and then adds all-wheel drive and a luxury interior before bolting in the high-output, 345hp, premium-fuel-drinking version of the Vortec 6000 6.0L V-8 and 4L65-E four-speed automatic. The idea, obviously, is to create something more fully useable as a truck than its competitors. And in that they succeed; the Silverado SS carries a full 1,490-pound payload and can tow up to 7,500 pounds. The Lightning, for example, can only tow 5,000 pounds.
If in specification the Silverado SS reminds you of the GMC Sierra Denali, that's because it is very similar, though it doesn't carry the Denali's four-wheel steering system, and the GMC never had wheels as gorgeous as the 20x8.5-inch five-spokers on the SS.
What's best about the SS is that it's quick (though not as quick as the Lightning) and handles better than any 227.6-inch-long, 72.2-inch-tall, 5,298-pound vehicle should. The interior, like every GM pickup, has a lot of cheap-looking plastic, but the black leather upholstery and SS logos are cool. In fact, the whole truck looks wicked cool.
But for $40,010 (including a $790 destination charge) we expect something better than just a single disc- and cassette player in the dash, and would like a rear window that slides open, and a bedliner (hopefully with a cool SS logo). With almost everything else standard, why those weren't included is a mystery.
The Lightning is a truck that thinks it's a sports car, but the Silverado SS is a sporty truck that knows it's a truck. And there's something to be said for having a truck that's still useful as a truck.
Facts & RumorsFact: In the 1966 Green Hornet television series, "Black Beauty" was a '66 Chrysler Imperial modified by Dean Jeffries. Bruce Lee, playing Kato, drove the car.
Fact: According to Advertising Age, Miramax Pictures is asking car manufacturers for $35 million in order to feature their car as "Black Beauty" in the 2005 remake of The Green Hornet. No script, no director, and no cast has been named for the film yet, but if Miramax can snag a car it'll have, well, $35 million. That's supposedly the most expensive car promotion in movie history.