116-0307-SCUP-TM-DA large portion of the show was dedicated to the computer hardware and software used to control the machines, design parts, and create prototyping models. One vendor explained that his company could accurately design a complex piece like a cylinder head on screen while also generating flow figures, and then transfer the design to a three-dimensional model (also done by computer), and then use that model to create molds for the actual parts. Technology like this partially explains the boom in aftermarket heads and intakes in recent years.
In And Out List[Photos 116-03067.SCUP 4A through 4C on disc and coded to text]In: Old cars that look like they're beat to hell, but run greatOut: Old cars that look great, but run like they're beat to hell
In: Wheelstanding your 5.0 MustangOut: Coming down from a wheelstand in your 5.0 Mustang and seeing the front struts burst through the hood
In: Old-timey-looking dashboards with classic supplementary instrumentationOut: Welding a late-model dash into an earlier-model car
In: Five-spoke wheelsIn: Six-spoke wheelsIn: Seven-spoke wheelsOut: Four-spoke wheelsOut: Three-spoke wheelsOut: Two-spoke wheels
In: Taste O' TriviaIn: Muscle Car of the MonthOut: Quote of the MonthOut: Winner of the Month
In: Estee Lauder supermodel Carolyn Murphy [Photo 4A]In: Estee Lauder supermodel Liya Kebede [Photo 4B]In: Estee Lauder supermodel Elizabeth Hurley [Photo 4C]Out: Writing items like this just so we can run photos of Carolyn Murphy, Liya Kebede, and Elizabeth Hurley
In: Mercury MeteorOut: Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
In: Four-wheel-steering pickupsIn: Four-wheel-steering SUVsOut: Four-wheel steering because your rearend is tweaked
In: M1A1 Abrams Main Battle TankOut: Toyota pickups with .50-caliber machine guns mounted in the bed
0308-SCUP h/O[Optional]Chrysler's Fastest Sedan[Photos 116-0308.SCUP 4A through 4D on disc]All that mid-'90s "cab-forward" styling has been banished from Chrysler-and it's about time. The new theme is "classic proportions," and the Chrysler 300C concept car shown at the New York Auto Show indicates that "classic" means "shouldn't have changed in the first place." And the 300C is only a slightly disguised version of the next Chrysler 300 that goes into production next year.
The classic proportions are possible because the 300C uses a classic drivetrain configuration: a Hemi V-8 up front powering the rear wheels (any similarity to the original '55 Chrysler 300 is purely intentional). In this case, it's the new 5.7L Hemi introduced in the Dodge Ram pickup, but with an aluminum block to go along with its aluminum heads. Chrysler isn't talking about output for the car version of the Hemi, but we're hearing that 380 hp is in the ballpark. Behind the Hemi is an electronically controlled five-speed automatic from the Mercedes parts warehouse feeding a limited-slip differential. The suspension uses short and long arms up front and a five-bar multi-link system in the back, but to the great disappointment of hard-core Mopar enthusiasts, no torsion bars.
From every angle, the 300C looks the way a big, confident American sedan should look. That grille kinda/sorta looks like the '57 300C's, the windshield isn't raked back like a rocket ship, and the greenhouse is squat over the car's big shoulders and 20-inch wheels. If the production version comes out this bold, it will be the best-looking Chrysler sedan since ... well, ever. The interior carries over the themes of the outside with a restrained use of wood trim and chrome rings around the vintage-looking instrumentation.
Chrysler's new rear-drive platform should produce a host of new vehicles including, if we're very lucky, a new Dodge Charger. Maybe the musclecar isn't dead after all.[Optional]