Performance cars: where rubber meets road

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Daimler unveils the Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009.

Kathy Renwald

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Performance car debuts crept into the North American International Auto Show like sinners ducking into church late.

PHOTOS: Performance cars at Detroit

Still, the fire breathing, maniacal speed machines broke the tension amid all the talk of reinvention, apologies, new beginnings and crisis in the industry.

There's a performance car to suit most dreams as long as your credit checks out.

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

The deeper meaning in Detroit crystallized for me at the Maserati hoedown where I learned that the cure for what ails you is a Quattroporte Sport GT S. The splendido mapping of the 4.7-litre V8, the gearshift software management, the dragon-slaying front and rear suspension and the sport-tuned exhaust is the answer to tough times. So declared Maserati CEO Harald Wester.

Patrol the streets in the 433-horsepower GT S and you'll be grinning from ear to ear. Improvements include new headlights, new seats and a new black grille, in a body so beautiful it makes you weepy.

The GT S is a nod to Maserati's win at the Indy 500 70 years ago. The auto industry is in a deep state of emergency, but Wester says the Maserati pledge in Detroit was, "There will be no compromise, we will not give up craftsmanship, we have lived through hard times before."

Audi R8 V10

The economy may be flatlining, but the smiley faces at Audi are still wearing rose-coloured glasses. They rolled out a spiked-up R8 in high-blood-pressure red and made no apologies about hyperventilating it with a V10 that will produce 535 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque.

The 10-cylinder engine will be nearly identical to the racing version, with claims the 5.2-litre will push the Audi from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds.

Wide and solid like a weightlifter, the new R8 makes a mean impression with front air intakes and chin spoiler painted high-gloss black, all LED headlights and wider side sills.

The 2010 R8 V10 will be sold only in Europe for 142,400 euros ($230,756 Cdn.).

Bentley GTC Speed

Surely the Bentley Continental GTC Speed could double as a brush breaker. It has 600 horsepower and 553 lb.-ft. of torque, for crying out loud. Everything's big on this beast – the new, more vertical grille, the search-and-rescue headlights, the 20-inch wheels and manhole-sized carbon ceramic brakes.

There's a lower ride height, more agile handling and updated springs. The powerful convertible will reach a top speed of 313 km/h with the top down.

The Detroit debutante had a delicious strip-club red interior with some kind of titanium checker-plate metallic highlights going on.

The Bentley presenters were suitably sombre about the decline in luxury car sales, but the GT Speed coupe has been its top-selling GT model worldwide since its debut in 2007.

BMW Z4

Finally, an elegantly executed BMW Z4. The all-new two-seater has lost the Salvador Dali sagging lines for a new snapped-together profile that seals the car into a beautifully balanced package. It was one of the best-looking cars at the show.

A new two-piece aluminum hardtop folds down in 20 seconds but will consume most of the cargo area. Slightly larger dimensions make the car easier to enter and exit, and add storage room behind the seats.

The world premiere showcased two engines: the straight sixes will produce 255 horsepower and 300 horsepower in the Twin Turbo, depending on which option is ticked. A six-speed manual is standard, but a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is available.

Seating is low, overhang short and the rear axle is close to the driver. That's the way a proper roadster is built in BMW-land. Pricing will be announced at the spring Canadian launch.

Jaguar XFR

Jaguar cranked up the printing press to add another letter to the XF. Attach the "R" and reap the benefit of 510 horsepower, delivered by a new supercharged 5.0-litre V8. That's 90 more than the XF, which was never in need of CPR. In Detroit, Jaguar promised a sharper edge to the XFR. Technology tweaks will deliver quicker steering and some chassis magic in the form of Active Dynamics and Active Differential Control. It will make that trip to the country club stirring.

Jag says it's committed to the high performance R. A gently modified version of the XFR logged a new Jaguar speed record of 362 km/h at the Bonneville Salt Flats last November.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

The SLR line bows out of production with the bombshell SLR Stirling Moss. Is it a car or a weapon?

An impossibly long hood, like a taffy pull gone mad, leads up to no windshield. Yes, it's a commando-style open cockpit racer capable of 650 horsepower, courtesy of a 5.4-litre supercharged V8. No moss will gather on this Moss.

The look is a long, sleek carbon-fibre fantasy. Small wind deflectors will help keep your eyeballs in your head, but that's not enough to make it legal driving in North America. The interior is tastefully minimalist in metal and leather.

The 750,000 euros ($1.2 million Cdn.) SLR Stirling Moss marks the end of the Mercedes-McLaren production collaboration. Only 75 will be built. Call now! Operators are standing by!

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

While the SLR looks to the future, the 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 looks to the past. With 86-year-old Carroll Shelby riding shotgun, two GT500s made some noise at the Ford press event. Bulked up and muscular, changes to the front end refer back to the AC Cobras of the early 1960s. It's the most powerful Mustang so far, with 540 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque.

The Mustangs were the last vehicles on stage at the subdued Ford event, and they singed some rubber as if declaring that the performance flame still burns at Ford.

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