The Driving Woman

Super engines are not dead. Not by any stretch.

There was quite an offering at the Detroit Auto Show this year. There will always be a need for speed. Did I just say that? Well, it's true...and I don't fault it. If you had seen that light blue Lambo Murcielago LP 640 Coupe you might have stopped and sighed too.

Imagine an ice blue sports car with highlights that simply skipped off the silky curves. Awesome. The Coupe comes equipped with permanent 4WD, 6.5 liter 12 cylinder heart with 640 hp and 660 NM @ 6000 rpm with fuel injection and multi-point sequential.  It looked perfect.

The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was the big gun at the show. I really think it's more of a guys car but that's your call. With 620 horsepower and 595 pound-feet of torque from the all-new LS9 engine is the most powerful Corvette ever put into production. Chevrolet says that the ZR1 will be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph.

And then there was Jaguar’s newest sedan, the XF that has a start button that lights up and pulses red when you touch it. That gives you some indication of what’s inside.

The XF will be propelled by the choice of two engines—the 4.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 or the 4.2-liter supercharged V8. The naturally aspirated V8 does 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph. The supercharged will do 0-60 in 5.1 seconds and has a top speed of 155. Stay tuned. I will be driving the XF next month!

Another spitfire, the22, is propelled by a 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 producing 480 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque.  The Nissan GT-R  has a “hybrid body construction” which combines steel, carbon fiber and die-cast aluminum to give it a lightweight drive and a drag coefficient of .27.

Low and lean, the Lexus LF-A Roadster high-performance vehicle sits on a  lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum body with turbine-styled alloy wheels.

The LF-A takes its action from a V10 engine that is capable of more than 500 horsepower with test-track speeds over 200 mph.

And then there's the Pontiac G8. The name itself just sounds muscular. The G8 performance sedan has a base vehicle with a 3.6L DOHC V-6 with variable valve timing, rated at 261 horsepower; the G8 GT is driven by a 6.0L small-block V-8, rated at 362 horsepower and 391 lb.-ft. of torque.

The 2008 CADILLAC XLR-V is the quickest and most agile Cadillac ever offered. It comes equipped with a 443-horsepower (330 kW) 4.4L Northstar V-8 supercharged engine.

And more…the retractable hard top can convert from coupe to open roadster in less than 30 seconds. The inside uses eucalyptus wood in light or dark tones, aluminum accents and gauges designed in conjunction with Italian luxury brand Bvlgari.

And the last two stunners were the Audi R8 V12 TDI concept and the 2008 Mercedes-Benz roadster version of the SLR McLaren super sports coupe.

The  Audi R8 V12 TDI's generous lines were  painted in a matt silver, the cockpit was topped by a glass roof with a glazed engine compartment in the rear. With it’s 12-cylinder diesel engine the V12 will push 500 hp and 737.56 lb.-ft of torque. It will go 0-62.14 in 4.2 seconds with a top speed over 186.41 mph. The engine is a relative of the engine in the Audi R10, the two times Le Mans winner.



The SLR McLaren super sports coupe roadster is powered by a supercharged 5.5-liter, 617-hp AMG V8 engine, the SLR McLaren Roadster boasts 0-60 mph acceleration of only 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 206 mph.

The semi-automatic roof opens by simply unlatching it from the windshield frame and raising the top slightly, after which an electric motor folds it away in less than ten (!!) seconds. 

Now I ask you. If you had the opportunity (and the pocket) to rent a day with a super car or a day with a hybrid, what would be your choice?

I think you know mine.