Monday, January 2, 2012

The Detroit Auto Show will showcase Mopar's Chrysler 200 Super S & the Dodge Charger Redline

The 2013 Dodge Dart is a big deal for Chrysler, so it makes sense that the majority of the company's attention at the Detroit Auto Show will be focused around the new C-segment sedan. But since the automaker doesn't want to blow its whole show presence on just one vehicle, its Mopar tuning arm has stepped in to create two new vehicles for show-goers to ogle – the Chrysler 200 Super S and Dodge Charger Redline.

In its stock form, the Chrysler 200 certainly isn't going to win any design awards, but we'll admit it: Based on these pics, the Super S looks good, at least from the front. The Super S Stage One kit adds visual flare in the form of a front chin spoiler, satin chrome fog light trim, satin chrome grille surround and a new mesh grille design. What's more, there are new side sills, black chrome badges and bespoke 18-inch "S" alloy wheels, a trunk lid spoiler, satin chrome rear light bar and a matte black lower diffuser with integrated exhaust openings.

Want some performance to back up that new look? There aren't any real power upgrades for the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine, but the Stage Two kit adds a coil-over suspension, cold air intake and cat-back exhaust. Chrysler says Super S packages will be available on 200S models starting sometime later this year.

Moving on up, the Charger Redline shows off three different Mopar tuning kits that will also be available later in 2012. Stage One adds a full-width carbon fiber chin spoiler to the Charger's aggressive front fascia, 20-inch Black Envy wheels, carbon fiber door scoops, a three-piece carbon fiber rear spoiler (pictured, right) and a roof graphic in matte black. We've had a chance to see the Charger Redline in person, and truth be told, we don't find it terribly attractive – especially the tacked-on side vents and spoiler. Though it traces its look to the anything-goes 1970s Mopar models, we'd prefer to just leave the decidedly handsome Charger alone, at least, aesthetically speaking.

The Stage Two and Stage Three performance upgrades, on the other hand, we'll take. Stage Two incorporates a cat-back performance exhaust, a front-tower cross-brace and tower brace caps, along with high-performance Mopar brake linings. But what we really want is Stage Three, which includes a high-output version of the 426 Hemi V8 crate engine – designed for racing use only. In addition to delivering 590 horsepower – 220 more than the standard V8 Charger – the engine weighs 100 pounds less than the standard cast-iron crate version. Too bad this setup isn't approved for use on public roads.



Source:  autoblog

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