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2004 North American International Auto Show
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by the author
January 12, 2004

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January is a cold month for Detroit. Temperatures dipped into the single digits as the 2004 North American International Auto Show got under way, but that didn't stop thousands of journalists from pouring into the Cobo Center from the 4th to the 6th. This year's show was possibly the best ever in the show's 88 year history. More than sixty concept and production vehicles made their worldwide and North American debuts, a new record. The Big Three seemed to be fighting over which company would be the star of the show: Ford introduced its new Mustang and the Shelby Cobra Concept, GM's expected C6 Corvette replaced the legendary C5, and Chrysler surprised everyone with a V12 mid-engine supercar. This year's show seems to be a sign of things to come with Chevrolet planning to announce ten new products in the next twenty months, and even Ford declaring 2004 as the "Year of the Car."

General Motors

Despite several spy photos basically showing the entire new design of the car, the official debut of the C6 Corvette was greeted with much anticipation. As expected, power now comes from a new V8 with increased displacement over the LS1 (5.7 to 6.0 liters). Better breathing for both the intake and exhaust was also a major area of improvement. Horsepower is up fifty to an even 400, and torque up half that much to match the horsepower. The new design is decidedly smaller than the previous car: the C6 is shorter by five inches and loses an inch in width. The new dimensions along with the exposed headlights aid in the better aerodynamics of the car. Overall the car features a smoother ride, better handling, better braking, a more luxurious interior, and improved performance. A Z06 version should be introduced for the 2006 year with at least 500 horsepower and less weight.

On the opening day of the show Cadillac announced a racing version of its CTS-V sports sedan. With their Le Mans effort not doing nearly as well as they hoped, GM is hoping to "improve Cadillac’s credibility with luxury performance enthusiasts" according to Mark LaNeve, Cadillac's general manager. The car is built to compete in the 2004 Speed World Challenge with its 5.7 aluminum V8 and 500 horsepower. Nearly three quarters of the car is derived from the street-going CTS-V including the engine, suspension, and steering.

General Motors also featured three cars based on their new rear-wheel-drive Kappa architecture: "full-length hydroformed rails and a stamped steel structural tunnel to provide a solid structure to enhance vehicle handling" as described by GM. The purpose for the design is so that General Motors can rapidly and efficiently develop sport compact cars throughout their various brands. The surprisingly striking Saturn Curve Concept (perhaps the first Saturn design I have ever liked), the Chevrolet Nomad Concept, and the production version of the Pontiac Solstice that was first debuted as a concept two years ago at Detroit all demonstrated the capabilities of the Kappa design. A base price of less than $20,000 has been promised for the Solstice, and it should start appearing in showrooms the middle of next year.

Ford

The base of the current Ford Mustang has its roots going all the way back to the 1970's. With the two aggressively designed Mustang concepts displayed at Detroit and L.A. last year, there were high expectations for the all new Mustang that appeared at this year's show. The design of the production Mustang for 2005 had numerous changes: the front received a fair amount of modifications with the fog lights moving up into the grill (1967 Shelby) and the deletion of the hood vents (1968 Shelby). Windows have been added for the rear seats in 1966 GT-350 fashion. The rear of the production version now looks more like the current version with the standard three vertical taillights, unlike the concept's taillights which had more of a horizontal look like the 1968 Shelby's. Unfortunately, I'm disappointed with most of the changes. The concepts had a smooth and aggressive look that had excellent styling cues from the Shelby Mustangs, while the production version looks awkward and has trouble mixing the historical and modern styling of the Mustang.

An unexpected vehicle from Ford was the Shelby Cobra Concept. I can't help but make the comparison with the Dodge Viper Concept displayed in 1989: Shelby inspired two seat roadster, aluminum V10 engine, no frills interior, and gobs of power and torque. Unlike the Viper, however, which had an original and radical design, the Cobra Concept seems to have a lack of aggressiveness in the design. The shape of the car doesn't convey that over 600 horsepower is lurking underneath the long hood. While the car does look much better in person, I don't think Ford will be flooded for production requests like the Dodge did with the Viper.

DaimlerChrysler

With the new Mustang and Corvette, nearly everyone thought that Chrysler would be out of the picture. At least for me, though, Chrysler turned out to be the star of the show. Rumors of a mid-engine supercar had been circulating around Chrysler and Dodge dicussion boards for a few months before the show, but no one really knew what to expect. Most expectations were certainly exceeded when the wraps were pulled off the ME Four-Twelve Concept. "The idea for this machine was conceived as a spectacular follow-up to the Dodge Tomahawk shown last year. The big difference is that Tomahawk was a design statement. ME Four-Twelve, however, is as much an engineering statement as it is a design statement," said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President of Chrysler Design. The car has a distinctively edgy and aggressive styling that has the power to match: 850 hp and 850 lb-ft torque. The car can accelerate to sixty mph in less than three seconds and has a theoretical top speed of just under 250 mph. What's even more amazing is that Chrysler is considering building it. Whether people will buy a Chrysler supercar or not remains to be seen.

More on the practical side, Chrysler also introduced a soft-top version of its Crossfire sports coupe. The car is essentially the same as the hard-top model (3.2 liter V6, 215 hp, 6-speed manual/5-speed auto, etc), but features an automatic fabric top that lowers at the touch of the button. The car maintains the hard-top's aggressive look with massive 19-inch wheels and a sharp front and side profile. An elegant interior gives the car a luxurious feel. Look for the Crossfire Roadster in showrooms later this year as a 2005 model.

Mitsubishi

A month before NAIAS, Mitsubishi released sketches of a low, sleek vehicle called the Eclipse Concept-E. What appeared on the show floor was actually quite similar to the drawings including the brilliant orange paint job. The car is a "glimpse into the future" according to Mitsubishi with a futuristic and high-tech interior, all-wheel-drive, an automated 6-speed transmission, and a powerful V6 engine combined with a 200 horsepower throttle-actuated electric motor. "The Eclipse Concept-E suggests that performance and fuel efficiency need not be mutually exclusive," said Ulrich Walker, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors. We might not see the plasma running lights and taillights, the neon crackle-tube indicators, or the "glass roof that offers ambient luminescence of its own" on any upcoming models, but a fuel efficient sports car is something we will definitely be seeing in the near future.

Ferrari/Maserati

NAIAS was the stage for two debuts for Ferrari and Maserati. The 612 Scaglietti is a new 2+2 Ferrari that replaces the aging but successful 456M GT. Reminiscent of the 375 MM, the new Pininfarina design is much sleeker and allows for more interior and luggage space. The all-aluminum space frame and body is not only lighter but stiffer than the previous version. Overall weight has been reduced by over 130 pounds, and the frame shows a 60% increase in structural rigidity. Performance is further enhanced by an increase in power from 436 to 540 horsepower. Torque has also been increased by 36 lb-ft.

While the 612 Scaglietti was a development from a previous model, the Quattroporte is an all new development from Maserati. The Italian car company's new flagship was first seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September, but the U.S.'s first official look came at Detroit. A unique aspect of the car is just that: uniqueness. The car can be ordered in 1,680,000 different combinations. The personalized options on the car include fifteen different colors of exterior paint, three types of wood trim, and ten shades of leather interior. Playing with Maserati's "car configurator" at www.maserati.it will give you a better idea of how truly unique the car can be. The performance aspect of the car was taken care of with the same 4.2-liter V8 found in the Spyder and Coupe models. Top speed is a more-than-useful 171 mph, and sixty mph comes up in just over 5 seconds.

Conclusion

No one can argue that this year's NAIAS wasn't spectacular. There were more debuts than ever before, and the concept vehicles displayed were some of the best yet, not to mention the production vehicles. Chrysler was the unexpected start of the show with its ME Four-Twelve Concept despite stiff competition from the other manufacturers. Chevrolet merely brought was expected, and Ford was somewhat of a disappointment despite their efforts. Even so, all the car company's offerings are now more appealing than ever. Who would have thought we would have a 300 hp Mustang GT, a 400 hp Corvette, a 500 hp Ford GT, a 600 hp Porsche, and a 600 hp Mercedes at one show...that were all production cars. Yes, we are living in grand times, and the future looks like it will be even better.