Carving a Unique Niche among Faceless Car Brands
OK, I've ridden a lot of powerful motorbikes but this thing is beyond intimidating. After hearing it roar, or more precisely making sort of a ripping sound as if the most powerful chainsaw on earth was tearing through solid sheets of steel, my heart pounded and blood boiled over with a desire I haven't felt since Dodge handed over the keys to their latest Viper SRT-10.
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| The Dodge Tomahawk Concept making its world debut in Detroit on January 6, 2003. Chrysler Group COO Wolfgang Bernhard piloted it to center stage. (Photo: Joe Wilssens) |
Any real speed enthusiast has to appreciate an automaker daring enough to build a 500-hp 8.3-L V10 powered sports car, but that same appreciation borders on love when the same mechanical technology is applied to a motorbike.
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| Just the thought of a motorcycle doing over 644 km/h is beyond imagination. Anyone for the Bonneville salt flats? (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Or maybe it's lust? I mean, how many motorcycles have an estimated 0 to 60 mph (96.6 km/h) sprint of 2.5 seconds and a calculable terminal velocity exceeding 644 km/h (400 mph)? Of course at that speed, even on a faring equipped bike, rider and machine would launch into the air emulating an F-104 jet fighter at take-off. But despite reality, the sensationalism of achieving more than half mach 1 speed is fun to contemplate.
"The Dodge brand philosophy always challenges us to grab life by the horns," commented Trevor Creed, Chrysler Group's Senior Vice President of Design. "In the case of the Tomahawk, grabbing and holding onto anything for dear life is a necessity."