Priced at just $135 more than the previous "High Output" Cummins, the 24-valve, 5.9L six is available lashed to either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an automatic (with a number of gears yet to be announced). The 600 has so much torque, says DCX, that it is capable of zero-throttle launches-that is, it will leave the line while the engine is still at idle-even under load. It's also pre-equipped to accept an exhaust brake should you really want to rile the neighbors.
The Cummins 600 should be on sale now.
Just Fabulous[Photos 116-0404.SCUP 11A through 11E on disc.]Do you remember the mid-'60s TV show Thunderbirds? You know, the show filmed in "Supermarionation," meaning it was a bunch of puppets running to save other puppets while flying around in cool aircraft. Yeah, well, if you remember it, you're really old. And if you don't remember it, you've been missing something cool in one of those ironic, www.aint-it-cool-news.com sort of ways.
Anyhow, Thunderbirds is coming to the big screen featuring real human beings, and the glamorous Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward's legendary six-wheeled pink "FAB1" is coming too. However, unlike the FAB1 in the old TV show, which was a Rolls-Royce, this one will be a Ford-a Thunderbird in particular (Rolls wasn't interested in licensing its trademarks for this film, and Ford's compatibility was obvious). Ford was directly involved in developing the 27-foot pink beauty, which features a bubble canopy and can (at least fictionally) turn into a jet and hydrofoil. The styling cues lifted from the current Ford Thunderbird are obvious, including the front grille shape and the hoodscoop. Other Ford concept and production vehicles are also in the film, which is set in the year 2065.
What's really underneath all that pink fiberglass and movie magic? Who knows? And really, who cares?
Soon Appearing In A Rearview Mirror Near You[Photos 116-0404.SCUP 16A through 16C on disc.]Chevy has added a police package version of the Tahoe SUV to its 2004 special service lineup. Like the previous Special Service Tahoe, this two-wheel driver has been engineered as a day-to-day patrol vehicle with high-speed pursuit capabilities. The suspension has been upgraded for better handling, and it rolls on P245/75R16 S-rated tires, which means the speed limiter cuts in at about 125 mph-should you have a reason to know that.
Power for the cop Tahoe comes from either the Vortec 4800 or 5300 V-8s backed by the 4L65-E four-speed automatic transmission. The interior is stark, but so is the interior of most cop cars, and it's pre-wired to accept all sorts of lights, radios, and shotgun racks. A four-wheel-drive model will also be offered for agencies that need one.
If you're not a police department, you can't buy one of these. However, it's rumored there's a civilian Tahoe SS on the way that uses the Special Service's suspension package inside a more comfort-oriented civilian wrapper.
Racecar Of The MonthRichard Petty's '69 Ford Torino TalladegaShelby Cobra Daytona Coupe [Photos 116-0312.SCUP 3 on CD.]You've heard of Carroll Shelby. Now here's the car that made Shelby someone worth hearing about.
As great as Shelby's Cobra roadster was in competition, it was aerodynamically atrocious, and there was no way it could be competitive against Ferrari in international sports car competition-and Ferrari was the only competition that mattered. So in the spring of 1963, the Shelby brain trust started scheming to make the Cobra a car that could dominate the world.
This called for an all-new aerodynamic body for the otherwise stellar Cobra chassis, and It was designed by Pete Brock using instinct and eyeballs instead of a wind tunnel. The Cobra Daytona Coupe was significantly slicker than the roadster thanks to a shape that started with a shark-like front prow that melded into slick flanks and abruptly ended with a large Plexiglass-covered fastback. It would gain the name "Daytona" because the first race it entered was the Daytona Continental in February, 1964.