Little was done to the SSRs to make them ready for pace duty. Each got some neat ghost flames on its nose, safety strobe lights were sunk into the tailgate, the aluminum wheels were polished, the suspension was slightly stiffened, oil and transmission coolers were added, and a low-restriction exhaust was bolted up. Left alone was the 290hp aluminum-block 5.3L Vortec 5300 OHV V-8 and the four-speed automatic transmission behind it.
GM racing honcho Herb Fishel did the driving in celebration of his 40 years promoting the sport within GM. By the way, this is the 14th time a Chevy has paced the Indy 500. It's also the sixth Chevy two-seater to pace the race-five Corvettes proceeded it.
Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers[Photos 116-03067.SCUP 11A through 11B on disc.]GM is developing new technologies like forward-looking collision warnings and adaptive cruise-control systems that need to be tested, but the very nature of the testing could wind up with cars bounding into the backs of other cars over and over and over again. So GM has developed a special car other cars can run into with virtually no damage.
Towed behind a Suburban, the rubber car looks sort of like the back half of a Monte Carlo on a small trailer, and it's perfect for testing radar and other sensing technologies with minimal sheetmetal destruction. Of course this begs the question of why they don't just make whole cars out of rubber in the first place?
Bad Boy Focus[Photos 116-03067.SCUP 12A through 12B on disc.]Ford has found itself playing catch-up to Peugeot in the World Rally Championship with its Focus WRC cars. So it has gone back to the drawing board and redesigned the competition Focus for 2003.
The new Focus RS WRC '03 is over 80 percent brand-new according to Ford. The styling has been twisted with a new rear wing and a deep front air dam to improve stability, and the body shell itself is significantly stiffer. The turbocharged 2.0L Cosworth-built Duratec four's mass has been reduced, and a new rear suspension is aboard to take advantage of the improved weight distribution.
The new car debuted at the Rally New Zealand on April 11th. Expect the Focus WRC '03 to wind up programmed into video games by the end of the year.
Skanky[Photos 116-03067.SCUP 13 on disc.]Singer Christina Aguilera shot a music video to promote the NBA Playoffs and we snagged this photo from the resulting PR fusillade. This gave us a chance to use the word "skanky" as a headline.
Lincoln Of The Sky[Photos 116-03067.SCUP 14 on disc.]The words "limited edition" have been used so often lately that it's impossible to tell when they actually indicate anything. Here, for instance, is the Lincoln Aviator Kitty Hawk Edition; a version of Lincoln's smaller SUV designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. Prices start at $45,210.
What makes the Kitty Hawk Edition a Kitty Hawk Edition is a monochromatic black exterior, a rear spoiler, an "argent grille with chrome surround," chrome-tipped exhaust, special badging, special floor mats, black leather seats with black stitching, and mink zebrano wood trim on the interior.
Available in two- or all-wheel drive, the Kitty Hawk also comes with standard Lincoln stuff like 17-inch wheels, heated and cooled front seats, power adjustable foot pedals, and HID headlights. Power comes from a all-aluminum 302hp 4.6L DOHC 32-valve V-? feeding a five-speed automatic transmission.