Interesting article about high-performance cars
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Interesting article about high-performance cars
As if we didn't know this already, but still... 
High-horsepower cars showing off new muscles
11:52 AM CST on Tuesday, November 4, 2003
By TERRY BOX / The Dallas Morning News
This is supposed to be the start of the auto industry's green era, a quiet time of whispery hybrids and oh-so-correct alternative fuels.
But the high technology that is helping keep emissions in check is also ushering in a thunderous new age of pavement-pounding horsepower. Nothing in the storied muscle-car '60s – not the legendary Ford Shelby Cobra, the mighty Hemi or the ferocious big-block Corvette – even approaches the power in today's supercars.
Over the last few years, cars at the top of the automobile world have burst through the once-mythical 500-horsepower barrier, then 600 and may be headed now for 700. The strongest muscle cars in the '60s had about 425 horsepower, and their ratings were usually inflated. When the new Bugatti Veyron arrives next year from Italy, the $1.1 million, 16-cylinder exotic is expected to have 1,000 horsepower, which is more than most race cars and small planes.
And the heavy doses of horsepower are trickling down. The average vehicle this year has 197 horsepower – nearly twice the average in 1981 – and is 29 percent faster despite being heavier, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"The industry as a whole has rediscovered how cool high-performance cars are," says Herb Helbig, a senior manager at DaimlerChrylser AG's performance vehicle operations who helped develop the Dodge Viper. "The reason why is simple: Americans love horsepower."
"The majority of the business is driven by need," said John Coletti, director of Ford Motor Co.'s SVT program, which builds the Mustang Cobra and F-150 Lightning pickup. "This niche is a want business. Why does someone need 500 horsepower? Why does he need titanium golf clubs? Why does he spend $2,000 for a suit or $300 for a bottle of wine?"
Much of the attraction to power is related to marketing, industry officials say. Most consumers understand and appreciate horsepower, and strong engines allow manufacturers to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive business. In addition, exotic, ultrapowerful cars pull people into dealership showrooms and infuse an entire brand with greater credibility – the so-called halo effect.
Moreover, unlike the automobile dark ages between 1972 and '85, manufacturers today can create big horsepower and easily meet all emissions requirements – and sometimes even get decent gas mileage. A new Z06 Corvette, for example, belts out 405 horsepower but can get more than 25 miles per gallon on the highway.
"The key to this door is electronics," said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine. "If you look at what drives automotive progress, that is the answer. What other time could you get cars that do what they do today – on unleaded fuel?"
Thanks mainly to highly computerized engine management systems that can manipulate a motor – making it a mannerly grocery-getter at slow speeds and a road-eating beast when the throttle's down – automakers can now be red-hot fast and green.
"I don't know where the limits are," said Mark Reuss, executive director of General Motors Corp.'s performance division, which oversees Chevrolet SS, Pontiac GXP, Cadillac V-series and Saturn Red Line vehicles. "In a mature industry, as it fragments, this offers the opportunity for more bang for the buck, to really change a car with more exciting performance. We have to pick and choose where horsepower and performance make sense. But where we think it makes sense, we will do it."
Automakers have a huge horsepower arsenal at their disposal. The industry has seen more technological change in the last five years "than in the previous five decades," said Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of Automobile magazine. Drivers are reaping the benefits, she said.
"When you make a car with 500 horsepower, you must have the tires, the suspension, the steering, the brakes to handle it," Ms. Jennings said. "Imagine how competent a car like that is at 70. I think it just makes a better car."
This time around, the fun may last for a while, too.
Insurance companies, which helped kill muscle cars, may not stifle this outburst of horsepower, officials say. For one thing, there are more insurance companies today and greater competition. Also, many of today's high-performance enthusiasts are affluent, middle-aged men – not testosterone-charged teenagers.
"You're talking about baby boomers who can afford the gas and insurance," said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, which represents 425 companies. "It's to the point where if you can afford the rates, it's all yours."
Charley Wilkison, political and legislative director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said officers aren't overly concerned about the high-horsepower vehicles. The Legislature passed a bill in the most recent session increasing the penalties for drag racing.
"It would stand to reason that some people would try to drive one of these cars fast," Mr. Wilkison said. "But I don't think law enforcement is out to make a blanket indictment of high-performance cars. You might be cussing one if you were chasing him. But it's never really about the car. It's the driver."
Though ultra-high-performance vehicles comprise a small niche, at least 22 cars and trucks today offer at least 450 horsepower, according to Popular Mechanics. These are a few examples from the pantheon of power:
• The Porsche Carrera GT, a limited-production two-seat roadster that arrives at dealers in the next few weeks. The $440,000, carbon-fiber speedster will be propelled by a 603-horsepower V10 and will have a top speed of 205 mph.
• The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, which is based on the automaker's luxury two-ton, two-seat roadster. Powered by a turbocharged V12, the $180,000 car will pack 612 horsepower as well as tire-melting torque. It's due out next year.
• The $670,000 Ferrari Enzo, the industry's poster-boy for exotic excess – before the Bugatti. Sporting a 660-horsepower V12, the Enzo has a top speed of more than 200 mph and retina-flattening acceleration. All 399 Enzos that Ferrari is building already have eager owners awaiting them.
• And in the less-than-$50,000 class, the perfect exotic for Texas: The 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup, which has a 500-horsepower V10 Viper engine under the hood and is capable of 150 mph – but not with a horse trailer behind it.
Bobby Rodriguez, president of Boardwalk Auto Group, which includes Boardwalk Porsche in Plano, expects to get at least nine of the hyper-fast Carrera GTs and already has $50,000 deposits on each.
"I can't think of anyone who wants to be second best," Mr. Rodriguez said. "We all want just a little bit more, and as long as I've been selling cars, the first thing that people want to know is: How much power does it have?"
Meanwhile, Ken Schnitzer of Dallas-based Park Place Dealerships said he has 10 to 12 deposits on the Carrera GT and 30 more on the Mercedes-Benz SLR. The SLR is a big $300,000-plus roadster that will have 600 horsepower and a 205 mph top speed when it becomes available next spring.
Mr. Schnitzer, chairman of Park Place, doesn't think that it's coincidental that so many high-end, high-performance cars are hitting the market now and in the near future. All are aimed at affluent baby boomers who are entering their peak earning years.
"I think the next three or four years are going to be the most exciting in the auto industry's history," said Mr. Schnitzer, whose holdings include two Lexus, two Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Bentley franchises in the Dallas area. "This is just the first wave. From 2005 to 2010, these [baby boomers] are in their peak earning years, and it's a good opportunity to market these specialty vehicles."
Although most people will never use it all, horsepower sells, said Matt Lineback, owner of Lineback Enterprises in Plano, which offers a range of high-performance and exotic cars.
"Beyond a little stoplight-to-stoplight acceleration, most people probably won't use it," Mr. Lineback said. "But for many drivers, I believe it boils down to power equals prestige, and in my world, prestige is not a bad word."
For Dallas attorney Keith Verges, power is a passion.
Mr. Verges, who races Miatas on the weekend, owns two Vipers, a supercharged 1995 Corvette and a Ferrari 355. Both Vipers and the 'Vette have 500 or more horsepower, he said, and all are street-driven.
"One thing you'll find in the supercar community: Too much is never enough," said Mr. Verges, who is a partner in a new high-performance driving school scheduled to start next year at Motorsport Ranch near Granbury. "Why do you need a three-carat diamond? Why do you need a 5,000-square-foot house? It is just not a matter of need. It's all about fun."
And auto enthusiasts are having serious fun these days, says Dan Panoz, founder of Panoz Auto Development Co. in the Atlanta area, which builds high-end sports cars powered by Mustang Cobra V8s.
"It's wonderful because it's not just about horsepower," Mr. Panoz said. "Today, it's better braking, better handling, better overall performance. A 500-horsepower Mercedes is a lot more docile to drive today than a '65 Mustang with 210 horses was."
E-mail tbox@dallasnews.com
11:52 AM CST on Tuesday, November 4, 2003
By TERRY BOX / The Dallas Morning News
This is supposed to be the start of the auto industry's green era, a quiet time of whispery hybrids and oh-so-correct alternative fuels.
But the high technology that is helping keep emissions in check is also ushering in a thunderous new age of pavement-pounding horsepower. Nothing in the storied muscle-car '60s – not the legendary Ford Shelby Cobra, the mighty Hemi or the ferocious big-block Corvette – even approaches the power in today's supercars.
Over the last few years, cars at the top of the automobile world have burst through the once-mythical 500-horsepower barrier, then 600 and may be headed now for 700. The strongest muscle cars in the '60s had about 425 horsepower, and their ratings were usually inflated. When the new Bugatti Veyron arrives next year from Italy, the $1.1 million, 16-cylinder exotic is expected to have 1,000 horsepower, which is more than most race cars and small planes.
And the heavy doses of horsepower are trickling down. The average vehicle this year has 197 horsepower – nearly twice the average in 1981 – and is 29 percent faster despite being heavier, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"The industry as a whole has rediscovered how cool high-performance cars are," says Herb Helbig, a senior manager at DaimlerChrylser AG's performance vehicle operations who helped develop the Dodge Viper. "The reason why is simple: Americans love horsepower."
"The majority of the business is driven by need," said John Coletti, director of Ford Motor Co.'s SVT program, which builds the Mustang Cobra and F-150 Lightning pickup. "This niche is a want business. Why does someone need 500 horsepower? Why does he need titanium golf clubs? Why does he spend $2,000 for a suit or $300 for a bottle of wine?"
Much of the attraction to power is related to marketing, industry officials say. Most consumers understand and appreciate horsepower, and strong engines allow manufacturers to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive business. In addition, exotic, ultrapowerful cars pull people into dealership showrooms and infuse an entire brand with greater credibility – the so-called halo effect.
Moreover, unlike the automobile dark ages between 1972 and '85, manufacturers today can create big horsepower and easily meet all emissions requirements – and sometimes even get decent gas mileage. A new Z06 Corvette, for example, belts out 405 horsepower but can get more than 25 miles per gallon on the highway.
"The key to this door is electronics," said Matt Stone, executive editor of Motor Trend magazine. "If you look at what drives automotive progress, that is the answer. What other time could you get cars that do what they do today – on unleaded fuel?"
Thanks mainly to highly computerized engine management systems that can manipulate a motor – making it a mannerly grocery-getter at slow speeds and a road-eating beast when the throttle's down – automakers can now be red-hot fast and green.
"I don't know where the limits are," said Mark Reuss, executive director of General Motors Corp.'s performance division, which oversees Chevrolet SS, Pontiac GXP, Cadillac V-series and Saturn Red Line vehicles. "In a mature industry, as it fragments, this offers the opportunity for more bang for the buck, to really change a car with more exciting performance. We have to pick and choose where horsepower and performance make sense. But where we think it makes sense, we will do it."
Automakers have a huge horsepower arsenal at their disposal. The industry has seen more technological change in the last five years "than in the previous five decades," said Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of Automobile magazine. Drivers are reaping the benefits, she said.
"When you make a car with 500 horsepower, you must have the tires, the suspension, the steering, the brakes to handle it," Ms. Jennings said. "Imagine how competent a car like that is at 70. I think it just makes a better car."
This time around, the fun may last for a while, too.
Insurance companies, which helped kill muscle cars, may not stifle this outburst of horsepower, officials say. For one thing, there are more insurance companies today and greater competition. Also, many of today's high-performance enthusiasts are affluent, middle-aged men – not testosterone-charged teenagers.
"You're talking about baby boomers who can afford the gas and insurance," said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, which represents 425 companies. "It's to the point where if you can afford the rates, it's all yours."
Charley Wilkison, political and legislative director of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, said officers aren't overly concerned about the high-horsepower vehicles. The Legislature passed a bill in the most recent session increasing the penalties for drag racing.
"It would stand to reason that some people would try to drive one of these cars fast," Mr. Wilkison said. "But I don't think law enforcement is out to make a blanket indictment of high-performance cars. You might be cussing one if you were chasing him. But it's never really about the car. It's the driver."
Though ultra-high-performance vehicles comprise a small niche, at least 22 cars and trucks today offer at least 450 horsepower, according to Popular Mechanics. These are a few examples from the pantheon of power:
• The Porsche Carrera GT, a limited-production two-seat roadster that arrives at dealers in the next few weeks. The $440,000, carbon-fiber speedster will be propelled by a 603-horsepower V10 and will have a top speed of 205 mph.
• The Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, which is based on the automaker's luxury two-ton, two-seat roadster. Powered by a turbocharged V12, the $180,000 car will pack 612 horsepower as well as tire-melting torque. It's due out next year.
• The $670,000 Ferrari Enzo, the industry's poster-boy for exotic excess – before the Bugatti. Sporting a 660-horsepower V12, the Enzo has a top speed of more than 200 mph and retina-flattening acceleration. All 399 Enzos that Ferrari is building already have eager owners awaiting them.
• And in the less-than-$50,000 class, the perfect exotic for Texas: The 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup, which has a 500-horsepower V10 Viper engine under the hood and is capable of 150 mph – but not with a horse trailer behind it.
Bobby Rodriguez, president of Boardwalk Auto Group, which includes Boardwalk Porsche in Plano, expects to get at least nine of the hyper-fast Carrera GTs and already has $50,000 deposits on each.
"I can't think of anyone who wants to be second best," Mr. Rodriguez said. "We all want just a little bit more, and as long as I've been selling cars, the first thing that people want to know is: How much power does it have?"
Meanwhile, Ken Schnitzer of Dallas-based Park Place Dealerships said he has 10 to 12 deposits on the Carrera GT and 30 more on the Mercedes-Benz SLR. The SLR is a big $300,000-plus roadster that will have 600 horsepower and a 205 mph top speed when it becomes available next spring.
Mr. Schnitzer, chairman of Park Place, doesn't think that it's coincidental that so many high-end, high-performance cars are hitting the market now and in the near future. All are aimed at affluent baby boomers who are entering their peak earning years.
"I think the next three or four years are going to be the most exciting in the auto industry's history," said Mr. Schnitzer, whose holdings include two Lexus, two Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Bentley franchises in the Dallas area. "This is just the first wave. From 2005 to 2010, these [baby boomers] are in their peak earning years, and it's a good opportunity to market these specialty vehicles."
Although most people will never use it all, horsepower sells, said Matt Lineback, owner of Lineback Enterprises in Plano, which offers a range of high-performance and exotic cars.
"Beyond a little stoplight-to-stoplight acceleration, most people probably won't use it," Mr. Lineback said. "But for many drivers, I believe it boils down to power equals prestige, and in my world, prestige is not a bad word."
For Dallas attorney Keith Verges, power is a passion.
Mr. Verges, who races Miatas on the weekend, owns two Vipers, a supercharged 1995 Corvette and a Ferrari 355. Both Vipers and the 'Vette have 500 or more horsepower, he said, and all are street-driven.
"One thing you'll find in the supercar community: Too much is never enough," said Mr. Verges, who is a partner in a new high-performance driving school scheduled to start next year at Motorsport Ranch near Granbury. "Why do you need a three-carat diamond? Why do you need a 5,000-square-foot house? It is just not a matter of need. It's all about fun."
And auto enthusiasts are having serious fun these days, says Dan Panoz, founder of Panoz Auto Development Co. in the Atlanta area, which builds high-end sports cars powered by Mustang Cobra V8s.
"It's wonderful because it's not just about horsepower," Mr. Panoz said. "Today, it's better braking, better handling, better overall performance. A 500-horsepower Mercedes is a lot more docile to drive today than a '65 Mustang with 210 horses was."
E-mail tbox@dallasnews.com
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Let the good times roll!
"It's wonderful because it's not just about horsepower," Mr. Panoz said. "Today, it's better braking, better handling, better overall performance. A 500-horsepower Mercedes is a lot more docile to drive today than a '65 Mustang with 210 horses was."
Yeah just wait till my '65 stang is making 500hp.
I'll be taking that Benz down.
And who said docile was fun? I want to smell my exhaust at the stop light while the entire car shakes from my huge cam.
"It's wonderful because it's not just about horsepower," Mr. Panoz said. "Today, it's better braking, better handling, better overall performance. A 500-horsepower Mercedes is a lot more docile to drive today than a '65 Mustang with 210 horses was."
Yeah just wait till my '65 stang is making 500hp.
I'll be taking that Benz down.
And who said docile was fun? I want to smell my exhaust at the stop light while the entire car shakes from my huge cam.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 811
From: tallahassee, FL
I still say that for a lot less than what one of thoses Benzs cost, I can make the Hemi a lot quicker.
Also, I disput the claim that no engine made more than 500 horsepower. I have personally seen ZL1 427s put down almost 550 on an engine dyno (not rwhp) in stock form.
Today, they also brag about the "supercars" but don't make much of a note of a car costing close to $1 million.
I would never spend that kind of money on a car and would take an old engine (yes, even a Ford
) over any of the "supercar" engines of today.
Just my $.02
Also, I disput the claim that no engine made more than 500 horsepower. I have personally seen ZL1 427s put down almost 550 on an engine dyno (not rwhp) in stock form.
Today, they also brag about the "supercars" but don't make much of a note of a car costing close to $1 million.
I would never spend that kind of money on a car and would take an old engine (yes, even a Ford
) over any of the "supercar" engines of today. Just my $.02
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,165
From: Sterling Heights, MI
Originally posted by Got-LT1
Also, I disput the claim that no engine made more than 500 horsepower. I have personally seen ZL1 427s put down almost 550 on an engine dyno (not rwhp) in stock form.
Also, I disput the claim that no engine made more than 500 horsepower. I have personally seen ZL1 427s put down almost 550 on an engine dyno (not rwhp) in stock form.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,313
Let's be honest. It's not that you don't want it, it's because you can't afford it
. I know most of you naysayers would be dry-humping a Ferrari or a Lambo if you had the $$ at your disposal.
If i had the cash, my garage would be like an exotic/supercar showcase. But i don't 
. Oh well, not like i'm dissapointed with the stang though. Someday...
. I know most of you naysayers would be dry-humping a Ferrari or a Lambo if you had the $$ at your disposal. If i had the cash, my garage would be like an exotic/supercar showcase
. But i don't . Oh well, not like i'm dissapointed with the stang though. Someday...
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 811
From: tallahassee, FL
Originally posted by Z28Wilson
You've seen the owner of a classic ZL1 Camaro pull the engine out of the car and have it tested on an engine dyno stand???
You've seen the owner of a classic ZL1 Camaro pull the engine out of the car and have it tested on an engine dyno stand???
For the record, I don't like anything about lambos and other exotics.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,313
And another article. I've highlighted the GM/Ford news as well as the interesting parts.
2003 SEMA: Dealers, automakers racing to quench thirst for added power
By RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News
Ford will show a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with this version of the 5.0-liter overhead-cam engine with a distributor and carburetors.
Jeff Hess wants to give his customers a kick.
It's not that Hess, parts manager at Performance Nissan in Duarte, Calif., doesn't like the people who come to his dealership to check out the assortment of Nissan's Nismo brand of high-performance parts. He just doesn't want them to leave without getting a feel for what's possible.
Such as the kick of extra horsepower.
So Hess has outfitted his own 350Z sports car with Nismo parts. And he encourages customers to drive the car around the block so they can see for themselves how much power they can expect by bolting up Nissan's brand of factory-designed parts.
It's one reason that sales of Nismo parts at Performance Nissan have gone from next to nothing early this year to an average of nearly $20,000 per month. It also reflects how dealers are capitalizing on enthusiasts' thirst for horsepower and performance.
"People are impulsive," Hess observes. "They like to touch and feel things."
Offering performance-enhancing products and other aftermarket parts made business sense for Performance Nissan.
"Salesmen sell cars, not accessories," Hess says. "But you have to offer them. For the 350Z people, I know it works - having the products in your store."
Of the $27 billion U.S. consumers spent on aftermarket parts in 2002, nearly $5 billion went for horsepower-increasing parts, says Jim Spoonhower, spokesman for the Specialty Equipment Market Association.
New-car buyers who modify their vehicles spend an average on $1,400 on extras. Popular items include computer chips and forced-air induction systems, as well as the usual popular aftermarket accessories such as custom wheels.
But for many drivers, brute horsepower reigns supreme. And dealers and automakers are answering the call.
Evidence of that will be on display this week at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.
Ford's Racing Parts division will introduce two 5.0-liter or 302-cubic-inch V-8s at the show. But they are not based on the push-rod engine that powered Mustangs and other sporty cars from the 1960s to the late 1990s.
The new engines are punched-out versions of Ford's 4.6-liter overhead-cam modular V-8. Unlike the old push-rod engine, which could be coaxed to deliver around 300 hp, the supercharged version of the new 302 is expected to crank out 600 hp.
General Motors plans to introduce two 9.3-liter, or 572-cubic-inch, crate motors at the show. One makes 620 hp and is for street use. The other is a 720-hp monster for drag racers.
GM also plans to introduce a crate version of its four-cylinder 2.2-liter Ecotech engine. It's a supercharged motor with about 220 hp.
Before computers took over the engine's fuel and ignition systems, low-tech items such as carburetors, high-lift camshafts, headers and electronic distributors accounted for the bulk of sales of horsepower-increasing parts. But while those items are still popular, the mix is changing to include more computer-driven performance parts.
Hot rodders and performance enthusiasts who want the added power, driveability and reliability of a modern high-tech engine in their older cars and trucks now can buy ready-to-bolt-up fuel injected crate engines with integrated electronic ignitions. These engines come from the factory fully assembled and are complete with a computer that only needs to be wired into the car's electrical system.
GM's big and small block Ram Jet and LS1 fuel injected V-8s have sold well since their introduction last year, says Will Handzel, GM's program manager for performance.
"Carburetors are not going anywhere anytime soon," he says. "But fuel injection has become less of a mystery. And now more people are headed in that direction."
GM engineers have developed fuel injected crate motors for hot rodders who are not computer programmers. For instance, each wire in the engine harness for the LS1 engine is tagged and labeled so that the do-it-yourself installer can more easily connect it to an older vehicle's electrical system.
Ford has done the same thing with its overhead-cam modular V-8 engines.
Those electronic controls are one reason for the large increases in horsepower.
Hank Dertian, engineering supervisor of Ford Racing Performance Parts, says horsepower is likely to go higher. "Six hundred is not the limit of useable street horsepower," he says. "The trick is to have balance, too."
Crate motors are subjected to the same testing and validation as regular production engines, Dertian says.
But Ford is expanding its crate engine offerings to include some retro engineering for those who want a simpler powertrain. A version of the 5.0-liter overhead-cam engine will be available with a distributor and carburetors. At the SEMA show, Ford plans to show a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with the engine.
Even drivers of economy cars have not been immune to the trend toward more performance. Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. plans to make a line of performance parts available through its dealers next year.
Tuners have taken a liking to the Hyundai Tiburon sports coupe. At this year's Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise in Detroit, 23 hopped up Tiburons from six states were on display. Several drivers spent more than $10,000 adding superchargers, big wheels and funky paint jobs to their cars. Now many of those same parts, sourced from specialty manufacturers but with a unique Hyundai brand, will be available through the parts departments at Hyundai dealerships.
Because automakers want a shot at the money consumers are spending on performance-increasing parts and appearance items, they are encouraging dealers to display factory-designed or -approved parts, either on vehicles in the showroom or in dedicated, branded displays in the parts department.
Jerome Duncan Ford in Sterling Heights, Mich., is adding a separate tuner and performance parts business called JD Speedtuners.
The outfit will be housed in a new 1,500-square-foot building next to the dealership showroom. The dealership will be able to outfit a new car any way a buyer wants it, from adding a supercharger and headers to offering funky paint jobs, big wheels and full body kits.
Scott Rease, Jerome Duncan's general manager, views the new parts and accessories business as a way to appeal to customers who want to upgrade their cars using factory parts as well as to differentiate his vehicles from competitive dealers who sell the same brands. The dealership sells Ford, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
To learn the market and spot trends, Rease says dealership personnel have been attending events that attract sport compact cars, muscle car fanatics and hot rodders. The dealership has had displays at the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit and Hot Import Nights, a nationwide travelling show for owners of sport compact cars.
Rease says the Mazda store tested the market by customizing the new Mazda6 sedan and displaying three different models on the showroom floor. Several cars were sold with as much as $8,000 worth of add-ons.
How much the new tuner parts business will add to the dealership's bottom line is unknown, Rease says.
"Traditionally, dealers haven't gotten very heavily into looking for substantial increases (in revenue) from parts sales," he says. "It's hard to forecast what kind of sales you can do. But we've obviously looked into it and plan to make a profit."
Back at Performance Nissan, the dealership is preparing to add a parts display in the showroom and give Hess an office closer to salespeople so that he can assist potential customers with modifying their cars.
Nissan hopes other dealers follow Performance Nissan's lead and aggressively market factory high-performance parts.
"All Nissan dealers can get Nismo parts," says Dean Case, Nissan's product public relations manager. "The cost of entry is low enough for dealers to participate."
2003 SEMA: Dealers, automakers racing to quench thirst for added power
By RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News
Ford will show a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with this version of the 5.0-liter overhead-cam engine with a distributor and carburetors.
Jeff Hess wants to give his customers a kick.
It's not that Hess, parts manager at Performance Nissan in Duarte, Calif., doesn't like the people who come to his dealership to check out the assortment of Nissan's Nismo brand of high-performance parts. He just doesn't want them to leave without getting a feel for what's possible.
Such as the kick of extra horsepower.
So Hess has outfitted his own 350Z sports car with Nismo parts. And he encourages customers to drive the car around the block so they can see for themselves how much power they can expect by bolting up Nissan's brand of factory-designed parts.
It's one reason that sales of Nismo parts at Performance Nissan have gone from next to nothing early this year to an average of nearly $20,000 per month. It also reflects how dealers are capitalizing on enthusiasts' thirst for horsepower and performance.
"People are impulsive," Hess observes. "They like to touch and feel things."
Offering performance-enhancing products and other aftermarket parts made business sense for Performance Nissan.
"Salesmen sell cars, not accessories," Hess says. "But you have to offer them. For the 350Z people, I know it works - having the products in your store."
Of the $27 billion U.S. consumers spent on aftermarket parts in 2002, nearly $5 billion went for horsepower-increasing parts, says Jim Spoonhower, spokesman for the Specialty Equipment Market Association.
New-car buyers who modify their vehicles spend an average on $1,400 on extras. Popular items include computer chips and forced-air induction systems, as well as the usual popular aftermarket accessories such as custom wheels.
But for many drivers, brute horsepower reigns supreme. And dealers and automakers are answering the call.
Evidence of that will be on display this week at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.
Ford's Racing Parts division will introduce two 5.0-liter or 302-cubic-inch V-8s at the show. But they are not based on the push-rod engine that powered Mustangs and other sporty cars from the 1960s to the late 1990s.
The new engines are punched-out versions of Ford's 4.6-liter overhead-cam modular V-8. Unlike the old push-rod engine, which could be coaxed to deliver around 300 hp, the supercharged version of the new 302 is expected to crank out 600 hp.
General Motors plans to introduce two 9.3-liter, or 572-cubic-inch, crate motors at the show. One makes 620 hp and is for street use. The other is a 720-hp monster for drag racers.
GM also plans to introduce a crate version of its four-cylinder 2.2-liter Ecotech engine. It's a supercharged motor with about 220 hp.
Before computers took over the engine's fuel and ignition systems, low-tech items such as carburetors, high-lift camshafts, headers and electronic distributors accounted for the bulk of sales of horsepower-increasing parts. But while those items are still popular, the mix is changing to include more computer-driven performance parts.
Hot rodders and performance enthusiasts who want the added power, driveability and reliability of a modern high-tech engine in their older cars and trucks now can buy ready-to-bolt-up fuel injected crate engines with integrated electronic ignitions. These engines come from the factory fully assembled and are complete with a computer that only needs to be wired into the car's electrical system.
GM's big and small block Ram Jet and LS1 fuel injected V-8s have sold well since their introduction last year, says Will Handzel, GM's program manager for performance.
"Carburetors are not going anywhere anytime soon," he says. "But fuel injection has become less of a mystery. And now more people are headed in that direction."
GM engineers have developed fuel injected crate motors for hot rodders who are not computer programmers. For instance, each wire in the engine harness for the LS1 engine is tagged and labeled so that the do-it-yourself installer can more easily connect it to an older vehicle's electrical system.
Ford has done the same thing with its overhead-cam modular V-8 engines.
Those electronic controls are one reason for the large increases in horsepower.
Hank Dertian, engineering supervisor of Ford Racing Performance Parts, says horsepower is likely to go higher. "Six hundred is not the limit of useable street horsepower," he says. "The trick is to have balance, too."
Crate motors are subjected to the same testing and validation as regular production engines, Dertian says.
But Ford is expanding its crate engine offerings to include some retro engineering for those who want a simpler powertrain. A version of the 5.0-liter overhead-cam engine will be available with a distributor and carburetors. At the SEMA show, Ford plans to show a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with the engine.
Even drivers of economy cars have not been immune to the trend toward more performance. Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. plans to make a line of performance parts available through its dealers next year.
Tuners have taken a liking to the Hyundai Tiburon sports coupe. At this year's Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise in Detroit, 23 hopped up Tiburons from six states were on display. Several drivers spent more than $10,000 adding superchargers, big wheels and funky paint jobs to their cars. Now many of those same parts, sourced from specialty manufacturers but with a unique Hyundai brand, will be available through the parts departments at Hyundai dealerships.
Because automakers want a shot at the money consumers are spending on performance-increasing parts and appearance items, they are encouraging dealers to display factory-designed or -approved parts, either on vehicles in the showroom or in dedicated, branded displays in the parts department.
Jerome Duncan Ford in Sterling Heights, Mich., is adding a separate tuner and performance parts business called JD Speedtuners.
The outfit will be housed in a new 1,500-square-foot building next to the dealership showroom. The dealership will be able to outfit a new car any way a buyer wants it, from adding a supercharger and headers to offering funky paint jobs, big wheels and full body kits.
Scott Rease, Jerome Duncan's general manager, views the new parts and accessories business as a way to appeal to customers who want to upgrade their cars using factory parts as well as to differentiate his vehicles from competitive dealers who sell the same brands. The dealership sells Ford, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
To learn the market and spot trends, Rease says dealership personnel have been attending events that attract sport compact cars, muscle car fanatics and hot rodders. The dealership has had displays at the Woodward Dream Cruise in suburban Detroit and Hot Import Nights, a nationwide travelling show for owners of sport compact cars.
Rease says the Mazda store tested the market by customizing the new Mazda6 sedan and displaying three different models on the showroom floor. Several cars were sold with as much as $8,000 worth of add-ons.
How much the new tuner parts business will add to the dealership's bottom line is unknown, Rease says.
"Traditionally, dealers haven't gotten very heavily into looking for substantial increases (in revenue) from parts sales," he says. "It's hard to forecast what kind of sales you can do. But we've obviously looked into it and plan to make a profit."
Back at Performance Nissan, the dealership is preparing to add a parts display in the showroom and give Hess an office closer to salespeople so that he can assist potential customers with modifying their cars.
Nissan hopes other dealers follow Performance Nissan's lead and aggressively market factory high-performance parts.
"All Nissan dealers can get Nismo parts," says Dean Case, Nissan's product public relations manager. "The cost of entry is low enough for dealers to participate."
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From: South Bend, Indiana
Originally posted by RiceEating5.0
This performance renaissance is great for the enthusiasts.
The next couple of decades will probably eclipse even the 60's.
This performance renaissance is great for the enthusiasts.
The next couple of decades will probably eclipse even the 60's.
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