170 MPH Chrysler 300C SRT-8 Coming Next Spring

Chrysler revs up Hemi for 170-mile-per-hour sedan Friday August 13, 12:01 am ET By

DETROIT, Aug 13, 2004; Tom Brown writing for Reuters reported that Chrysler's muscular-looking 300 Series sedan is about to get another dose of steroids.

The hot-selling car, which critics have hailed as marking a renaissance for the spacious American-styled sedan, already comes equipped with an optional 5.7 liter Hemi V-8 engine.

With 340 horsepower, that's powerful enough to launch you from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 6.3 seconds.

Beginning next spring, however, DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler division will offer an even faster version of the 300 with a 425-horsepower, 6.1 liter Hemi V-8.

The 2005 model car, tuned to deliver greased-lightning takeoffs and a top-rated U.S. speed of 170 m.p.h., will be known as the Chrysler 300C SRT-8.

"We're talking zero to 60 in around five seconds," Dan Knott, who heads Chrysler's high-performance Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division, said of the upcoming hotrod.

"That's a pretty stout performance for a sedan of this size," said Knott. Styled mostly like other 300s, with their massive slabs of sheet metal and out-sized chrome-plated grille, the rear-wheel-drive vehicle will weigh in at about 4,100 pounds.

Big 20-inch forged aluminum wheels and a specially designed rear deck spoiler will be among the design cues setting the car apart from other 300s. It will only be available in exterior colors dubbed "bright silver" and "brilliant black."

"We're tapping into the heritage of the Hemi and, in this case, we basically injected it with a good old case of SRT hormones, or steroids," said Knott.

He spoke in a phone interview as Chrysler prepared to make a formal announcement, at the Pebble Beach auto show in California on Friday, about production of the 300C SRT-8.

Hemi is a name that harks back to Chrysler's muscle car days of the 1960s and '70s, and Chrysler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche says it has more brand equity than he has ever seen before for an engine.

The popular, new-age version of the engine, built at a Chrysler plant in Mexico, is available in Dodge pickups and sport utility vehicles as well as the 300, and it has become an increasingly important part of Chrysler's overall sales.

"Hemi is a household name," said Anthony Pratt, senior manager for global powertrain at J.D. Power and Associates. "It's like the Intel inside concept," he added, referring to Chrysler's marketing of the engine.

Knott declined to comment when asked what other vehicles might be offered with the all-new 425-horsepower Hemi.

But Pratt said automotive supplier sources have told him the engine would be put in at least some models of the all-new 2005 Dodge Charger sedan and possibly a high-performance of the recently introduced Dodge Magnum sport wagon.

The engine is also likely to appear in a high-output version of Chrysler's all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee or some other Jeep derivative, Pratt said.

The fuel economy of the 6.1 liter version of the Hemi is far from great, and the 300C SRT-8 will only get about 14 miles per gallon in city driving and 19 on the highway. Because of that it will also be subject to the U.S. gas guzzler tax.

Knott stressed that the large car, which should only burn premium fuel, was designed for the sort of people who don't typically worry about fuel economy, however.

"It's a collector-series vehicle, a performance enthusiasts' vehicle," Knott said.