Chrysler adds even more horsepower to HEMI(R) with new Chrysler 300C SRT8

PEBBLE BEACH, CA, Aug. 13 /CNW/ - With 85 more horses under the hood, themomentum continues for the Chrysler 300C and its legendary HEMI(R) engine.Today, Chrysler Group revealed the 425-horsepower 2005 Chrysler 300C SRT8,which arrives in showrooms next spring.

"With a nearly 50 percent take rate, the HEMI is a critical ingredient tothe success of the Chrysler 300," said Dan Knott, Director -- Street andRacing Technology (SRT). "With the new 2005 Chrysler 300C SRT8, we are nowadding even more horsepower to the HEMI and even more performance to theChrysler 300C.

"With the Chrysler 300C SRT8, we are taking the HEMI engine to the nextlevel, and growing the SRT brand," said Knott. "The 2005 Chrysler 300C SRT8 isthe natural evolution of the Chrysler brand, the SRT brand, and the HEMI."

Preliminary performance targets for the 300C SRT8 are 0-60 mph in the low5-second range; and quarter-mile time in the high 13-second range.

(Note that these are extremely conservative, considering that the 340-hp300C delivered 0-60 in 5.3 - 5.5 seconds)

Powertrain

The 425-horsepower, normally aspirated 6.1-litre HEMI is the highestspecific-output engine ever offered by the Chrysler Group. Its 69.8 horsepower-per-litre rating exceeds even that of the legendary 1966 "StreetHEMI." Torque is rated at 420 lb.-ft.

Although the Chrysler HEMI was born in the 1950s and entered into legendin the 1960s and '70s, today's version took much of its inspiration from theoriginal -- particularly the namesake hemispherical combustion chambers thatprovide power and efficiency.

When SRT set out to develop a more powerful HEMI for the Chrysler 300CSRT8, they were mindful of the engine's heritage, which led to adoptingtraditional HEMI engine cues such as an orange-painted cylinder block andblack valve covers.

The SRT powertrain engineers who developed the Chrysler 300C SRT8'sengine achieved more horsepower by adding more cubic inches, increasing thecompression ratio, redesigning the cylinder head intake and exhaust systemsfor increased flow, and increasing engine speed.

To get more displacement, SRT engineers bored out the diameter of thecylinders in the Chrysler 300C SRT8's HEMI by 3.5 millimetres each, toincrease the total displacement to 6.1 litres from 5.7 litres.

Compression ratio was also increased to 10.3:1 from 9.6:1, unleashingmore energy in the combustion process.