Let a kid loose in a shop full of candy!
Your idea of fun?
Not even close.
Chrysler came up with a better idea, letting the media loose on its test track here with a stable full of concept cars, one-of-a-kind, multimillion dollar machines you see spinning on turntables at auto shows but never get a chance to take out for a spin.
Chrysler asked whether we’d like to join some of our colleagues and get behind the wheel and press the pedal of the Dodge Copperhead, Chrysler Phaeton, Dodge T-Rex, Dodge Sidewinder, Jeep Dakar, Jeep Icon and Plymouth Pronto.
It took less than a millisecond to say “Uh-huh,” slightly longer to sprint to O’Hare and hop on the next jet headed east.
Automakers usually reserve concept-car test drives for buff books to give the magazines and the automaker national attention.
This was a first–letting the pencil press who toil for daily publications join the fun.
Sadly, upon arriving here, the enthusiasm had to be tempered somewhat. Seems that one of those buff-book writers, the ones with an automaker’s name weaved on every piece of clothing they wear save the underwear– Lamborghini doesn’t fit on a thong–had snuck out early to take photos and in trying to make the T-Rex concept of a 6-wheel-drive full-size pickup truck stand on its rear tires, blew a transmission.
And Phaeton, the concept luxury sedan with glass divider between front-seat driver and rear-seat traveler–as well as a Grey Poupon holder where the Coke can normally rests–had undergone similar abuse. It sat in a corner with tires in need of tread and thread to become one piece again.
OK, so the stable was down two, and because of those mishaps, speeds were curtailed, but that left plenty of hardware to sample.
Those who ogle concepts at auto shows should know that if ever invited to drive one, concept means you make some concessions to reality.
For starters, pieces are glued together rather than bolted because the vehicle is built more for temporary show than long-lasting go. That means once warm, you’ll likely smell a little adhesive before exhaust fumes.
Also, no need for gauges on a show car, so the instrument panel and dash house painted-on speedometers, radios and tachometers. And no need for mirrors.
A bit disconcerting, but who cares when you get to slip into a:
– Sidewinder. Take the Dodge Dakota compact pickup, stick an 8-liter V-10 (that would generate 450 horsepower in a Viper, but thanks to a little tweaking, develops 600-h.p.-plus in the Sidewinder) under the hood, and you have one lean, mean machine.
Sidewinder basically is a Viper hiding in a Dakota.
Unfortunately, the Chrysler folks standing in a puddle of transmission fluid demanded they govern takeoff and re-entry speeds. Suffice to say that if a Sidewinder ever pulled alongside in traffic, unless you’re behind the wheel of the space shuttle Columbia, let Sidewinder pass at will.
Here’s a vehicle with a burnt-orange exterior and purple interior, just the combination to attract attention at an auto show but probably not the color choices for production–and Sidewinder is being given close production scrutiny.
Consider the name. Sidewinder. A snake. Viper. A snake. And then there’s Copperhead. A snake. But more on that later.
How much more unusual can an orange and purple, 600-h.p. pickup truck be?
Like a Batmobile, you don’t turn an ignition key, rather you pull the “arm” button that says “ignite.” The brake pedal is labeled “whoa,” the gas pedal “go” and the fuel gauge reads “full,”,”half-way” and “no way.”
The truck bed is covered with a power plastic top. Push a button and it opens like a hood. Push it again and it closes.
And no one will siphon your gas from this vehicle because the filler door cap is in the truck bed.
Another nice touch finds a power-operated rear window. Rather than a small piece of glass that slides open or shut to allow air into the cabin, this power window slips down horizontally out of sight.
– Copperhead. To die for. Masterpiece styling. Poor man’s Viper. Even in crude concept form and with Chrysler pointing a radar gun at us, Copperhead outperforms the Mazda Miata.
Reddish orange with a purple interior, but it still would look good covered in wallpaper.
Significant that the roadster is powered by Chrysler’s new 2.7-liter, 220-h.p. V-6 that will arrive for 1998 and is teamed with a smooth-shifting 5-speed manual.
Interesting that Copperhead is 8 inches shorter than a Viper, but built on a 12-inch-longer wheelbase.
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Noteworthy is the fact that for a concept, the suspension provides ride and handling thisclose to a production model–a performance roadster in harmony with the road.
Feels as if it would have been as at home on the interstate as the test track. Only noticeable problem is that the windshield is small and sharply raked and a tall driver would find the header in his or her field of vision, with his or her dome above it. And there’s no cupholder.
Sunburned head and thirsty. Small price to pay.
Chrysler design director Neil Walling says Copperhead could be produced for no more money than what the automaker spent to bring out Prowler–about $75 million.
“But, the question is, do we need another roadster at this point in time. Is another roadster the right segment for our foray into low-volume niche cars? There’s a better argument to do the Sidewinder in the current market with the demand for trucks. No one has a niche truck. Imagine a Viper engine in a hot-rod pickup,” he said.
And, Sidewinder fills the other Chrysler requisite for a niche vehicle: it’s named for a snake.
“And a missile,” Walling adds, beaming.
– Pronto. Not purple or orange or hiding a 600-h.p. engine. The purpose of this car is to test the feasibility of color molding a plastic vehicle body, which not only eliminates metal panels that dent, ding and rust, but also the paint shop that colors them–a multimillion-dollar savings.
One problem, Chrysler says, is that color molding leaves a low-gloss satin finish without the traditional shine.
Oddly, the concept Pronto here is done in sheet metal with a special paint job to resemble the dull finish you would experience with plastic. At the moment, it would be too expensive to do a single car in color-molded plastic, Chrysler said.
Pronto is an off-white or cream color, and one of the benefits of the satin finish is that dust, dirt and minor scrapes are better camouflaged, and glare from the sun is dramatically reduced.
Also, since the outer panels would be plastic, the inner panels would be, too, meaning you could wipe them clean with a wet cloth. If the plastic is scratched–inside or out–buffing removes the marks.
Chrysler figures youth and young couples would accept a dull finish in exchange for a low price, and to keep costs down, the sunroof is canvas and operates like a prone window shade to let air in or keep it out.
We think the satin finish looks good.
– Dakar. Da Ugly. This is supposed to give us a peek at the four-door Jeep Wrangler coming along about 1999. Stretching the Wrangler wheelbase by 2 inches to 108 inches allows for two added doors such as RAV4 and Honda CR-V have.
A series of lights and a spare-tire rack on the roof detract from a smooth, clean appearance. Looks a lot like a Willys Jeep. What’s a Willys? Looks a lot like a Dakar. Oversized 31/10.5 50/R15 tires meant the trip around the track was a tad wobbly.
Cute items include a folding shovel integrated into Dakar’s front fenders and five-gallon gas/water cans built into the rear tailgate.
– Icon. The next two-door Wrangler with very similar styling cues but a more solid vehicle with larger bumpers, tires and wheel arches. Wider track for better road stability. Wider roof pillars for the look of a more substantial vehicle.
The armrests are cloth stowage sacks you can lift out and take with you when hiking, camping or fishing.
First use of Chrysler’s Autostick in a Wrangler, the same system as in the Plymouth Prowler that allows regular automatic operation as well as clutchless manual shifting through the gears.
Can be offered as a front- or four-wheel-drive machine (like RAV4), whereas today it’s rear-wheel-drive that can be put into 4WD. A lever engages 4WD and another moves you into high or low setting.
Vehicle raised two inches higher than present Wrangler. What’s two inches more ground clearance?
“It’s a big deal if a 12-inch diameter tree is laying in front of a 10-inch diameter tree on the road ahead of you,” Walling says.
– Phaeton. Stunning styling borrowed from 1930s and ’40s, and a rage on the auto-show circuit this year. However, it was perhaps the biggest disappointment among all the concepts, even though we couldn’t drive it and experience its V-12 engine.
Chauffeur sits upfront with a glass partition between he and the chauffeured in the rear. OK, cute, but when we plopped in back to check out the Grey Poupon holder, we found rear-seat room surprisingly tight and cramped and legroom especially lacking.
More visually stimulating than physically satisfying.
Seats reminiscent of those in a Chevrolet truck–like a rock.
So why did Chrysler make these concepts available to the pencil-pushers?
“To show that we love our business, are passionate about cars and aren’t afraid to take risks. We wanted to show a little courage, like we did with Viper,” Walling said.
“Dead cow cooked isn’t a steak. You need some seasoning in the recipe. Viper was seasoning for us. Prowler is seasoning for us. With these concepts, we hope to see lightning strike again,” Walling said.
The concept easiest to pull off as reality?
“Dakar, it’s just a matter of where would you build it,” Walling said.
The least likely?
“Phaeton, because, as with any convertible, it presents a structural challenge when you take the top off. But it’s also a problem because with concepts, you sometimes take liberties, and Phaeton doesn’t have a full-size gas tank,” he said.
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