Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
By AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
AutoWeek | Published 01/16/06, 2:57 pm et
The Chrysler group will decide the fate of its Corvette fighter in the second quarter of 2006, says CEO Tom LaSorda.
The sleek, two-passenger Chrysler Firepower concept was a star at the 2005 Detroit auto show.
"Firepower is on our agenda," LaSorda said. "It is something that will come to me, probably sometime in the second quarter. We're looking at a lot of business cases, and that is one of them."
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RE: Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
I won't be able to afford the Firepower but I hope it blows the Vette in the weeds once and for all without any doubt. I'm really sick of the biased SOB's that pick the Viper apart in all the comparisons. The Viper is what it is and isn't meant to coddle some pu$$ies a$$ so he doesn't get a back ache! It's a performance vehicle-DUH!
RE: Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
Quote:
ORIGINAL: deranged
I won't be able to afford the Firepower but I hope it blows the Vette in the weeds once and for all without any doubt. I'm really sick of the biased SOB's that pick the Viper apart in all the comparisons. The Viper is what it is and isn't meant to coddle some pu$$ies a$$ so he doesn't get a back ache! It's a performance vehicle-DUH!
Once upon a time the Corvette was a very expensive car and wasnt a super mass produced vehicle....it still had more made in a year then the Viper, but it used to not be a common vehicle. The fact of the matter is....the Corvette is what DCX wishes the Firepower could be....a long lasting sportscar.....
And for the record.....DCX has a history of killing every good car they have....after about 12 years....
RE: Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
I guess the Viper is gone within the next year or two then? I agree the Viper would never acheive the sales figures of the Vette at it's price that's kind of obvious. As far as the long lasting sports car, how many times has the Vette gone through redesign in it's lifetime? I'm by no means a Chevy historian but without even looking it up I can think of five. Let's see 5 into 50 is 10. That would mean technically speaking that Chevy has killed the Vette 5 times as each new iteration would be considered a different vehicle (every TEN years, avg.) with a Corvette badge on it. The current Vette is light years away from the originals intent, a sporty American alternative to the European sports car, yet still affordable. I myself can see the bias towards the Vette in the comparisons as the journalists talk of the brutality of the Viper and the refinement of the Vette. Yes the Viper was originally built to be the Vette killer and after years of very little change it still is, and does so with a decided lack of refinement and I think that's what the critics can't stand. But it was also built to put the Chrysler brands back on the automotive map. It has served it's purpose you'll have to admit quite well. I don't know that it was ever intended to be the performance legacy for Chrysler brands. I do know that DCX is developing the Dodge brand back towards being the performance arm, as it always had been historically, by offering a diverse range of performance choices. Anything from the SRT-4 to the Viper. The other manufacturers show no sense of direction with their performance image. Ask Joe Public to name another Chevy performance model besides the Vette , then see the blank stare. If the Firepower replaces the Viper so be it, and if the Firepower only lasts 12 years I don't care. If DCX kills a good car every 12 years with something better so be it. As long as there are performance Mopars I'll be with 'em and I won't care what name they put on them.
RE: Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
Quote:
ORIGINAL: deranged
I won't be able to afford the Firepower but I hope it blows the Vette in the weeds once and for all without any doubt. I'm really sick of the biased SOB's that pick the Viper apart in all the comparisons. The Viper is what it is and isn't meant to coddle some pu$$ies a$$ so he doesn't get a back ache! It's a performance vehicle-DUH!
I have to agree with you deranged. In my mind, when I think about the Viper, I think about Italian supercars, not the Corvette. To me, a Corvette vs. Viper comparison is like comparing of Neon SRT-4 vs. Mustang GT (no offense Neon SRT-4 fans). They are too different to compare.
Here is what I would like to see Chrysler do with the Firepower. Chrysler vs. Chevrolet anything in my mind is an insult to Chrysler's heritage. I would like to see Chrysler make the Firepower into being marketed as a luxury coupe/convertible to compete against the Jaguar XKR, Cadillac XLR-V(I think they have a V for this car), and other luxury coupe/convertible but have it come standard with the 6.1L so then it can blow them away with a supercharged 392 HEMI offered as an SRT-8 option. As for the Corvette, I think this would be a good chance to resurrect Plymouth. Make a strip down version of the Firepower and call it the Road Runner with no more options than what the Corvette comes with standard (strip it down to where it can undersell the Vette). Offer a slightly detuned 6.1L HEMI with a 6-speed stick standard and the new 68RE automatic, but powerful enough to beat the Corvette. Then offer the NA 392 in the top model called the Superbird. That ought to give Corvette a run for it's money and it would probably be able to sell the Plymouth for less because the Plymouth division was good at making cars inexpensive. Chevrolet should be fought with the division that was intended to fight them, Plymouth.
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RE: Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
While I can't disagree with your line of thinking,we must face the reality that Plymouth is dead and the odds of DCX bringing it back are nill. Dodge was always the performance division of Chrysler Corp. and Plymouth was the economy or entry level with Chrysler (luxury) being the division all mopar fans were to aspire to once we had outgrown the fast cars. Plymouth had success in the performance market but it was kind of as a spin off of the Dodge brand and it's emphasis of performance. You could have the performance of the Dodge in a more affordable package ie. Roadrunner, Cuda, with less frills. Enough history. While I admire Chryslers original intentions With the Viper it Has become dated (yes ...... I said it). If the Firepower is built lets just hope it is built beyond comparison with the Vette. I'm talking no competition whatsoever! V/8, V/10, V/12, V/16, flux capacitor whatever, build it beyond reach of the next LTZL7BR549 small block chevy that I'm so sick of hearing about! Did you know that this is the same engine that has been in production since the stone age? (sarcasm) I've got to stop now before I puke, but before I go did you know that Louis Chevrolet died penniless and destitute? With the present situation at the general I find that kind of ironic.
Chrysler's Firepower Corvette fighter is still on automaker's agenda
