SS Mopar Muscle invades the 2004 LA Car Show
On Jan 2nd, 2004, the folks here at SS Mopar Muscle took a trip down to the LA
Car Show to see what new was coming in the way of performance cars, with a primary
objective of seeing what the SRT-10 Viper Truck looks like in person (We have 2 on
order). While we are primarily lovers of old Mopar Muscle, we still love and enjoy
the new performance cars, both Mopar and others. We thoroughly enjoy the SRT-4 and
Viper that are part of the stable. But anyway, here is a quick run down of the
cars we saw with brief descriptions.
Chrysler Crossfire - I really like the looks of this car, I think its a beautiful
coupe, some disagree. It borrows a lot from the Mercedes parts bin, but it has
potential. In 2005 there will be a SRT-6 verion with a 330hp V6 and a sport suspension,
that shold really liven the package up.
Chevy SSR - Well, I believe this is called the SSR, its their new little retro
truck. The S&S consensus: chevy can keep it. It just didn't light our fire. We
were hoping they would have the new C6 corvette, but alas, they were holding it
off for the big unvieling at the Detriot show the following week.
Acura NSX - Well, this is the latest version of the NSX. The basic body has been the
same for about 13 years now... its getting a bit old and Acura has a remake in the
works (so the rumor has it). Still nice cars.
Audi Race Car - Well, we all love sports car racing, and here is one of the
Audi Spec cars that has been doing very well as of late. Neet cars.
Subaru WRX STi - It may be boy racer, but the current crop of tricked out
factory cars have some serious performance. These STi cars are consisten 13 second
quarter mile cars.
Lotus Elise - Well, here was one of the other big reasons the effort was made to come to
the show, the introduction of the federal elise. 1700lbs, 190hp, and arguably the
best handling car in the world. Sounds like a serious, but small, sports car. The
styling received mixed reviews from the S&S staff, but for me, its beautiful.
Another shot of a yellow elise this time.
Lotus Esprit - You cannot stop by the Lotus booth and not get a picture of the current
Esprit. 2004 is the last year of this sports car classic. Its suppose to make a return
around 2007, but we'll have to see. Still a beautiful car after all these years.
Current crop of Lambos
Saleen S7 - How can you not like this american made supercar? Sure, Saleen if ford
based, but geez, this is one great car.
Hummer H3T - Well, the Hummers are getting smaller and more main stream, as evident
by their new H3T small pickup. Not a bad design, but and the pricing is getting
decent, but still not our cup of tea.
Bently Racer - Bently you say? Yep, Bently got back into racing just a few years
ago, and they are making some serious noise. They won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall
last year. This car, while a race car, is absolutely beautiful. Its really a very
impressive car to see up close. Wounldn't a street version be cool?
Ferrari 575 - Who doesn't like Ferrari? To my eyes, this is the most beautiful
Ferrari made (along with its predecessor, the 550). Classic lines and the performance
to back it up. The ultimate supercar, the Ferrari Enzo, to us, is pretty darn ugly.
Porsche 356 - Without a doubt, Porsche had the most elaborate display, they
had an entire Hall to them selves. It was a historical time trip through Porsche's
history. This is a very nice example of a 356.
1965 Porsche 911 - Here is a 1965 Porsche 911. A classic.
Porsche 996 GT3 - The latest version of the 911. This is the new GT3. 380
normally aspirated horse power.
Porsche Carrera GT - Well, this is Porsche's answer to the Ferrari Enzo. $450,000
gets you the ultimate Porsche, 600+ HP and every go fast gimick you can think of.
Porsche Carrera GT - Here is a side profile shot.
Jaguar XKR - This is the hot rod version of the XK8. This was one of our favorites
because it just had the right look, and 390HP. Unfortunately, there is not a
manual transmission available.
Aston Martin DB9 - Well, I'm not sure if everyone else agreed with me, but I personally
feel the Aston Martin cars are the most beautiful. They push all the right bottons
with me. This is the DB9, the replacement for the DB7. They also announced a
convertible version.
Aston Martin Vanquish - This car has my vote for best of show, even though its
been out for a few years. Beautiful car... and fast.
Ford GT - The GT (yah, like GT40) drew a big crowd. It seemed to be the most
popular, and for good reason. The car really looks stunning and Ford did a
good job keeping the spirit and lines of the car. 500 HP makes it worth while
also.
Dodge Viper SRT-10 - Well, we finally made it to the dodge section. Here is what we have
come here for, mopar muscle! Nothing special here, just another Dodge Viper. We
prefer the 1996-2002 Viper GTS body best of them all, but the new ones are cool
also.
Dodge Viper SRT-10 - Another viper, though this one wasn't at the Dodge Booth.
Dodge Rumble Bee - This is the Rumble Bee concept truck, no its not a SRT Viper Truck,
its only Hemi powered.
Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck - This is what most of the SS Mopar Muscle crew came to see,
a dodge viper truck. As you can tell, its impressive!
Dodge SRT-10 Viper Truck - Here is the 500 HP side of the truck.
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