Keeping the Hot, Hot!  |
| The 300C SRT8 is the halo car of halo cars, the top dog among Dobermans. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
OK, let's get this straight. Chrysler takes the most powerful car in its class and pumps it up with an additional 85-horsepower and 30 lb-ft of torque? With such a move it's pretty clear that Detroit's number three automaker definitely believes in the team leadership creed of keeping the hot, hot in order to get the warm warmer, and leaving the cold behind..." or something like that.
And I suppose, rather than attempting to bolster its weakest models with racy add-ons that aren't going to fool anyone, strengthening its brand image by juicing up its best-selling flagship sedan makes a lot of sense. After all, there's an argument that substantiates such actions, a marketing dogma which purports that drawing greater attention to a halo model will result in increased interest in more pedestrian vehicles such as minivans and crossovers. Chrysler tried this with the Crossfire, to some success, but really its 300 has cast a much larger halo across the winged blue-ribbon brand, and unlike the two-seat sports car is making a rather large profit.
The 300C SRT8 is the halo car of halo cars, the top dog among Dobermans; and with that (unofficial) title commands a respect on the road that few rivals can even hope to emulate. I know this first hand, because I've seen the look on the faces of stunned passersby, the knowledgeable car buffs who realize with mouths agape, exactly what it was that shook the very ground they were standing on - 10-spoke, 20-inch rims and low-profile performance rubber, a unique front fascia featuring integrated circular fog lamps, a subtle rear decklid spoiler, big fat chrome tipped dual exhaust pipes, and, if you can spot it, a discrete SRT8 badge fixed to the trunk, being the only outward clues.
 |
| The 6.1-litre HEMI V8 is plenty capable of increasing a body's flow of endorphins. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
While it's high-output 6.1-litre HEMI V8 doesn't thunder to the same degree as a hog "silenced" with sawed off short pipes, its rumbling exhaust note is plenty capable of increasing a body's flow of endorphins. A quick blip of the throttle smoothes the engine's gentle lope, and simultaneously launches the big sedan with as much force as false bravery can muster. Sure, I'll admit that I had a few quivering thoughts about just how to manage such a monster on the open track, but once I'd left the Mont-Tremblant pit lane and opened up the throttle it was too late for cowardice.
