Rumormilll: Ferrari-powered 2011 Dodge Caravan R/T coming?
08-12-10, 12:41 PM
#1
Rumormilll: Ferrari-powered 2011 Dodge Caravan R/T coming?
Rumormilll: Ferrari-powered 2011 Dodge Caravan R/T coming?
Let's include this one in the highly improbably file. The Mopar specialists at Allpar.com are reporting that the previously reported 2011 Dodge Caravan R/T minivan could come powered by a V8 engine. Along with most of the Chrysler lineup, the Town and Country and Caravan will be getting a substantial mid-cycle refresh in the coming months. While the main focus will be on upgraded interiors, the minivans are also getting new powertrains with the fresh Pentastar V6 replacing the tired old 3.8- and 4.0-liter V6s.
However, putting a V8 into the Grand Caravan seems like a stretch at best. Chrysler's own 4.7- and 5.7-liter V8s almost certainly won't fit in the vans, which are designed around 60-degree V6 engines. That leaves an engine out of the Fiat lineup as the only option. Unfortunately, the only V8s at Fiat reside under the hoods of Maseratis and Ferraris (along with the late Alfa Romeo 8C). Aside from the fact that these probably wouldn't fit either, none have ever been configured for a transverse application and they would all be enormously expensive.
As intriguing as the idea of a 400+hp Ferrari-powered Grand Caravan might be, it makes about as much sense as a Bentley-powered Volkswagen Golf. Wait a second...
W�rthersee 2007: VW shows off monster Golf GTI W12 650 concept
It would appear that the Audi TT clubsport was just an appetizer for the fans at the Wörthersee 2007 meet in Austria. Volkswagen has upped the ante by throwing down a stunner: the Golf GTI W12 650 concept. The ultimate GTI in every way, this car has a claimed top speed of 325 km/h -- 201 mph! -- and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) of 3.7 seconds.
This is a pure show car, so don't go running to your VW dealer waving around a fistful of cash. He won't be able to help you. Too bad, though, as this super Golf dishes out a mammoth 650 horsepower and over 530 ft lbs of torque from the 6.0L biturbo W12 it's got mounted behind the front seats. All that juice flows through a 6-speed automatic to the rear wheels, which are shod in some seriously meaty rubber.
Lower and wider than a stock GTI, the body retains the production car's doors, hood and lights, but otherwise it's all new. A number of intakes and a redesigned C-pillar help feed air to the 12-cylinder behemoth supplying the go-power. To keep the car planted to the tarmac, VW didn't want to use a massive spoiler to generate downforce. As such, the car's carbon-fiber roof acts as a giant diffuser that funnels air under the small spoiler at its trailing edge. In summary, the whole thing is a big exercise in the awesome.
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/vw-go...oncept/#245579
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/17/w...2-650-concept/
It would appear that the Audi TT clubsport was just an appetizer for the fans at the Wörthersee 2007 meet in Austria. Volkswagen has upped the ante by throwing down a stunner: the Golf GTI W12 650 concept. The ultimate GTI in every way, this car has a claimed top speed of 325 km/h -- 201 mph! -- and a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) of 3.7 seconds.
This is a pure show car, so don't go running to your VW dealer waving around a fistful of cash. He won't be able to help you. Too bad, though, as this super Golf dishes out a mammoth 650 horsepower and over 530 ft lbs of torque from the 6.0L biturbo W12 it's got mounted behind the front seats. All that juice flows through a 6-speed automatic to the rear wheels, which are shod in some seriously meaty rubber.
Lower and wider than a stock GTI, the body retains the production car's doors, hood and lights, but otherwise it's all new. A number of intakes and a redesigned C-pillar help feed air to the 12-cylinder behemoth supplying the go-power. To keep the car planted to the tarmac, VW didn't want to use a massive spoiler to generate downforce. As such, the car's carbon-fiber roof acts as a giant diffuser that funnels air under the small spoiler at its trailing edge. In summary, the whole thing is a big exercise in the awesome.
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/vw-go...oncept/#245579
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/17/w...2-650-concept/
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