Trepanier started with a Mustang bought through eBay and is, as this is written, cramming it full of all the latest aftermarket addictions. That includes a 400hp supercharged engine, thoroughly revised drivetrain, a stereo powerful enough to crack an aircraft carrier's keel, and loads of other parts acquired through eBay. Creatively named the "Fastforward Mustang" progress of its construction can be tracked at www.ebaymotors.com/fastback and it will be on display both at the Fall Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet & Corral this October 1st through 5th in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and at the mind-boggling SEMA show this November in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Saturn RingsSaturn is trying to burst beyond its stigma as the car for people who care more about the buying experience than the car itself. Toward that end, it is introducing the Red Line series of performance machines based on the regular Saturn lineup, and to promote it, they're going to Bonneville.
What you see here is a Saturn Ion Red Line being prepped for the salt at So-Cal Speed Shop in sunny Los Angeles, California. With a body slicked up in the wind tunnel by GM's Warren Design Studio and power coming from a 900hp version of the standard Red Line's supercharged 2.0L Ecotec four, the company aims to set a new class record next year at Bonneville. We're not sure exactly what class that is, but we understand the current record is somewhere near 184 mph.
With even Saturn in the speed business, who's left for us to rib? Thank God for Kia.
A Chip Off The Periodic TableCarrying an atomic number of 27 and an atomic weight of 58.933200, Cobalt is one of the less obnoxious elements. But it is metallic, it is grayish, and it will be the name of Chevy's next car.
Replacing the unloved Cavalier, the Cobalt will appear as a '05 model and replace the Cav on GM's Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant. While Chevy isn't saying much at the moment, we expect the Cobalt to be based on the same worldwide small-car architecture upon which the Opel Vectra and Saturn Ion are built, and to feature versions of GM's Ecotec four-cylinder engine. That includes the supercharged 2.0L Ecotec now being snap-fit into the Ion Red Line. It should be on sale by next fall-and maybe sooner.
The Cobalt joins the Dodge Neon as the only two car models named after elements. Can we expect the Buick Boron quickly followed by the Pontiac Praseodymium? How about a Cadillac Yttrium or that eagerly awaited redundancy, the Mercury Mercury? OK, maybe not...
Yes, There Will Be An '04 LightningWith a new F-150 coming for the '04 model year, many were wondering if the glorious SVT Lightning version of the truck would make it into '04 attire. It will.
Ford will continue to make the "old style" F-150 through the '04 as a bargain leader, and a precious few of them will become Lightnings. Just about everything is carryover for the '04, including the grunting 380hp supercharged Triton 5.4L V-8, the aggressive suspension, and the snug regular cab interior. The only readily apparent change is a new set of 18-inch wheels.
This is good news. Now hopefully SVT will conjure up something spectacular to succeed it.