US tuners go wild at SEMA

GENERAL Motors sprung a surprise on the motoring world at last week's Specialty Equipment Market Assocation (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

The world's largest car-maker used the world's largest aftermarket motor show to parade a mid-engined turbine-powered supercar called EcoJet, which was designed by GM’s Advanced Design Studio with the help of US talk show host and car-buff Jay Leno.

This year, for the first time, GM, along with Ford and DaimlerChrysler, sponsored the event - a sign the multi-million dollar performance and equipment market has come of age in the US.

Leno had invited the design studio to help him design the car and when GM vice-president of global design, Ed Welburn, heard about the idea he gave the project the go-ahead.

According to GM, the genesis of the EcoJet start in a discussion between Leno, an avid car enthusiast and collector, and Mr Bernard Juchli, the chief mechanic and caretaker of Leno’s collection.

Leno then turned to Welburn for design direction.

"A couple of paper napkins later, Ed had begun to capture the essence of the car," Leno said.

"I've admired the work of GM’s design studio in North Hollywood, and asked Ed if the studio’s director, Mr Frank Saucedo, and his guys could continue the design study." Welburn agreed, and a two-week sketching frenzy started as GM’s designers began working after-hours with Leno’s team on the project.

"EcoJet’s aesthetics were driven by aeronautical and jet-age influences," according to Welburn.

"It's a purpose-driven design that conveys power, capability and even danger, with a hint of Cadillac's sophisticated design vocabulary." Borrowing design cues from jet aircraft and Formula One racecars, the supercar began to take shape under the watchful eyes of Leno and Welburn. A concurrent engineering program defined the vehicle’s proportions and mechanics.

Leno relied on Mr Juchli and his team at his garage to turn the EcoJet vision into a reality.

"We thought we pushed the creative envelope with the '66 twin turbo Toronado project with GM, but this turbine-powered monster is a whole new level of complexity," Mr Juchli, who built the car at Leno’s Big Dog Garage facility with help from aluminium producer Alcoa.

The 448kW/542Nm EcoJet is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on bio-diesel fuel.

The engine sits in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components.

The car’s shell is an advanced construction of carbon-fibre over Kevlar. It measures 4674mm long, 2024mm wide and 1180mm high, which makes it 84mm longer and 55mm shorter than than a Lamborghini Murcielago but about the same width.

Apart from the EcoJet, GM also showed off a specially built Saab 9-7X Aero concept.

The lowered Saab featured 24-inch custom wheels, custom exhaust system, suede and leather trim and the appropriately loud audio system with two amplifiers and two 12-inch customer woofers.

Not to be outdone by GM, Ford showed off its new Superduty F-Series truck, sporting a new 258KW/881Nm 6.4-litre twin turbo Powerstroke diesel and a range of Shelby Mustangs, including a 350kW 5.0-litre V8 Shelby GT500.

GM answered the Ford truck brigade with a 5.3-litre V8 Flex-Fuel Hummer H3.

One of the more outrageous cars was a tricked-up Mitsubishi "i" with a bright paint job and custom-made wheels. Mitsubishi said it wanted to showed off the car to gauge public reaction to the micro car.

Mitsubishi's also revealed its "Evolander" concept, which hints at what a Outlander Ralliart would offer if approved for production, according to Maurice Durand, Mitsubishi US manager of product public relations.

Assisted by an ATI/Roadrace Engineering centrifugal supercharger, the 3.0-litre V6's output rises from 164 to 224kW, which is channelled to all four wheels via a six-speed paddle-shift auto.

The Outlander showcar's extra urge is accompanies by Roadrace Engineering coil-over suspension tuned by John Mueller, 20-inch OZ wheels with Yokohama Advan ST tyres and six-piston Brembo calipers with cross-drilled rotors.

Over at Dodge, the Challenger Super Stock takes to new heights the resurgent DaimlerChrsyler brand's newest coupe, which is yet to be approved for right-hand drive production.

One of just two Dodge Challenger concept bodies built, the Super Stock commemorates the 392 Hemi and co-incides with the release of a 392 Hemi "crate motor" to be available with either fuel-injection or carburation.

The Super Stock's 392kW 6.4-litre injected HEMI V8 employs 10.5:1 compression, twin-plug cylinder-heads, forged pistons, a forged crankshaft and forged conrods.

The Challenger's next-generation LX platform was heavily modified by SkunkWerks, which replaced the independent rear suspension with a live axle and leafs springs(!), which along with American Racing wheels and Goodyear slicks are said to reduce wheel hop and improve straightline performance.

Volkswagen R GTI is said to offer 0-100km/h sprinting under five seconds, thanks to a larger Garrett GT2871R ball-bearing turbo with double-size intercooler and 21psi of turbo boost.

Another European also took its newest small hatch to new heights at SEMA, with Volvo showing its 2007 Evolve Volvo C30 concept. The one-off SEMA showcar features a 150mm-wider rear-end, massive 355/25 19-inch Pirelli rubber and a twin sequential turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder that offers about 378kW.

The SEMA show is the biggest automotive specialty products trade event in the world.

It attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries.