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Detroit Motor Show 2001 Story by Adam Jefferson - 23 January 2001. Having just joined the Car Enthusiast team, reporting on the Detroit motor show is no mean feat. Forget London and Birmingham, forget Turin and Geneva, this is one serious show complete with live music, top celebrities and over 50 breathtaking unveilings of completely new models. It would be virtually impossible to report on everything there, so I've picked a few of the most interesting cars on display. I'll start with the one I've been mulling over in my mind for the last few years, just waiting for it to happen - the Concept VW microbus. It's such an obvious step after the Beetle, you kinda wonder what the hold up was. Well here it is in its full glory, complete with 20 inch wheels, electrically sliding doors with remote control retractable door handles, and an entertainment system with more screens than your nearest Warner Village. The bus was designed with the American market in mind and, while reflecting the styling of the 50s bus, is meant to be 'another Volkswagen original'. It borrows many design cues from its predecessor, but has a largely new front and back end, the front holding the formidable 3.2 litre V6 engine. Unlike the Beetle, the floorpan is completely new. Where the bus differs most though is the inside. It's about as far away as it could get from the barren tin and vinyl interior of the original. It is generously illuminated, and the floor is a layer of aluminium, which 'shines through' a sheet of semi-transparent urethane. It is also equipped with a full cinema - a 7" screen in the centre console and four monitors in the backrests of the sumptious nappa leather seats. Another screen replaces the rear-view mirror. From the way it's being pushed, it looks very much as if it will follow the Beetle to production - I for one hope so. It offers a funky alternative to the usual people carriers that signal the unrecoverable drift into 2.4 middle age. The BMW X Coupé Concept. Is it an off-roader? Is it a coupé? Is it weird? Well, yes. It's been designed using what BMW refer to as 'flame surfacing'. The blurb is that 'it's a new design language, working together with high-energy tension to build emotion and function.' Hmm. The front end is undoubtedly striking, offering a new, aggressive headlight interpretation. As you move along the sides it all goes a bit odd, and by the time you get to the back, it's plain bizarre. The boot is asymmetrical, starting where you might expect on the driver's side, but encompassing the whole rear wing on the passenger side, in fact acting as the rear door. The rear screen wraps round in one piece, excluding the passenger side C-pillar. The Coupé certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to toys - a concealed monitor displays the multi-function control system. Pressing a lever changes the shape of the (flame surfaced) dash to reveal the monitor and control panel. GPS is fitted, with additional off-road operation. The headlights steer with the wheels, and even interact with the GPS to anticipate curves in the road ahead (wonder if it works off-road!) Incremental brake lights relay how hard the driver is braking to following cars, and a rear spoiler in the base of the bumper lowers electronically at 68mph to increase stability. It also has a full complement of safety acronyms, offering AST, DSC-X, and HDC. The coupé is based on the floorpan of the X5 and powered by BMW's 3 litre 6 cylinder turbo-diesel, modified to produce greater torque, and coupled to a five-speed Steptronic box with steering-wheel paddle control. Much as I admire the innovation, I can't help thinking the asymmetrical design just won't catch on... mind you it would turn heads as the new SRV (school run vehicle).
ChryslerDaimler were one of the major exhibitors at the show, and presented three new concepts. The Crossfire is a two-seater coupé, designed 'to European proportions' although it still looks distinctly American to me. This is no bad thing though - it's actually a very attractive car. The winged Chrysler badge features strongly - the whole front of the car takes on this shape, and it is reflected in the centre console as well. The body is constructed as a single carbon fibre shell and bolted to an aluminium chassis. The engine is a supercharged 2.7 V6 offering 275 bhp and 270 lb-ft of torque. I'd guess this could be quite significantly tuned as well. Inside, the Crossfire has an Electronic Vehicle Information Centre (EVIC) which is the same sort of thing as on the Skyline, letting you know what g-force and acceleration you were experiencing when the clutch went bang. It's a great looking car, but I think TVR probably got there about 10 years ago.
The Dodge Super8 Hemi is far more retro, harking back to style of the 50s, and although it's actually more people-carrier than car it's styled as a large, aggressive sedan. Again, I like the style but I think the back is a bit bland - looks as if the budget ran out. Still, only a minor complaint. Although a simple, minimalist look has been maintained inside, the car is loaded with technology. The heart of the electronics is an 'Infotronic' system which consists of four computers running Linux. It features personalisable voice recognition, full control of the car's systems such as ventilation, security TV, satellite radio, as well as internet access and entertainment to keep the passengers occupied. Finally media beaming allows wireless data transfer between the car and a home entertainment system while the car is parked at home. It's encouraging to see manufacturers taking note of current entertainment needs - many of these things will be standard on high-end cars in another few years, but it's breakthroughs like this that get us there. The Jeep Willys is as you'd expect a modern interpretation of the original. It looks so outrageous that you just know it's one of those concepts that stay concepts. Well, I hope I'm wrong. The body of the concept is carbon fibre, but the production model would be injection moulded plastic. The engine is a supercharged version of DaimlerChrysler's 1.6-litre. Supercharging increases the low-down torque and ups the bhp to 160. A four speed auto box is provided with all the usual off-road stuff. 0-60 times aren't even worth mentioning, but that's not what it's about anyway. This is one off-roader that you really would want to take off-road. It has become a tradition at Detroit for DaimlerChrysler to surprise its audience and this year was no exception. Not satisfied with three new concepts, a new Dodge Ram was also being launched. The show began with a giant oil drum on the stage. The audience of journalists waited several minutes for something to happen. Suddenly, without warning the drum exploded to reveal... not the Ram, but the 2003 Viper. The car has styling cues from the Viper GTS/R concept unveiled at Detroit last year, but has undergone a complete facelift, with a lower bonnet line and larger headlights. The trademark side scallops and side-exit exhaust remain. According to Dodge, the new Viper will be the only production car in the world with "500/500/500" performance - 500 bhp, 500 lb-ft of torque and 500 cubic inches of displacement from an 8.3-litre all-aluminium V8 mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Another of the unveilings at the show was the latest Nissan Z car. It drove onto the stage wearing the signature orange colour of the original 1970 240Z. The car has a very clean design, with an unusual lack of unnecessary lines and fiddly bits all so common on Japanese cars. it looks sufficiently muscular, and maintains the Z's trademark long flowing bonnet and short rear. As expected the car is front engined, rear wheel drive. Power figures have been substantially raised from the 1996 300Z's 222 bhp to over 260 bhp, achieving a 0-60 time of under six seconds. Torque has also been increased from 198 lb-ft to 240 lb-ft. Gearbox options are a six-speed manual or a five-speed electronically controlled auto. The car is expected to reach production in 2003 and be priced in the $30,000 bracket. Meanwhile on the Mitsubishi stand, the "no-compromise" RPM 7000 was being unveiled. It is aimed entirely at rallying (Mitsubishi has a 30-year rally racing history) and features a 2 litre 315 bhp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, close-ratio 5-speed manual gearbox and variable-torque all-wheel-drive system. It looks extremely purposeful and robust - it's easy to imagine it hurtling through a rally stage leaving mass devastation in its wake. It was designed at the Mitsubishi Research and Design America studio in California, and incorporates a Formula One-style nose and "suicide style" centre-opening doors. Finally, what has to be the most ridiculous car of the show, the Corbin Merlin 2002. It's not so much the engine, which is ultra-low emission, high-performance (apparently) and achieves 60mpg, but the styling of it. Imagine a rather grand front end, with a prominent chrome grille. Um... and that's about it. You don't need to imagine the rest as there isn't anything. It just tapers off to a third wheel at the back. Oh, and it only carries one passenger. I think I'll probably go for a Sinclair C5 instead... Links to further manufacturers' press releases:
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