Part 2 of Modern Performance Shop Tour
As we’re sure you already know by now, Modern Performance is run, and staffed by car enthusiasts, and we love American four cylinder cars. Over the years we have collected various articles, had them framed, and posted them in our offices. Lets take a look !
The framed piece above is a Chrysler brochure put out around 2001-2002 to tease the public about the upcoming Dodge SRT-4. Chrysler produced a few of these cars as mules for testing, that were 2000 era Dodge Neons with a 2.0 Supercharged motor. Eventually Chrysler scrapped the 2.0 supercharged motor and put in a 2.4 TURBO motor that was being used in the GT Cruiser. Notice the hood, lower bumper, and wheels, and how the production SRT4 looks very similar to it.
This framed article was from an unknown magazine in which the 2003 Dodge SRT-4 was test driven. This car was a pre production 2.4 Turbo car that was passed around to magazines for review. Notice how the bumper doesnt have the holes under the hood to further cool down the radiator like production units, as well as the Enkei wheels that didnt make it into production.
This article reviewed the 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT-4, and overall the magazine review was positive, calling it a BAD-ASS BREAD BOX.
Here we have a January 1995 Car and Driver article on the 1995 Dodge Neon Sport Coupe. The article is titled: The Neon loses two of its doors and says bye to hi. The article compared the Neon Sport Coupe Dohc to the Saturn SC2, Ford Escort GT, and the Hyundai Scoupe Turbo. Overall, the Neon had the best acceleration out of all of the competitors, as well as best gas mileage. It had the worst braking compared to the other cars though. The Dohc Sport Coupe is listed as having 0-60 acceleration of 7.6 seconds, and quarter mile time of 16.0 at 89 mph.
Pictured above is a Chrysler brochure for the 2001 Neon R/T that was destined for export to Europe. The Neon was sold in Europe with limited success, mainly due to engine size taxes (motors over 1.6 liters in most of europe are taxed more than motors under 1.6). 2000-2005 Neon enthusiasts will notice the different Chrysler grill in the front bumper, as well as the euro rear fog lights integrated into the rear bumper. Also quite obvious is the steering wheel being on the right side of the car.
Here we have a Magazine article that looks like a periodic table from High School. It lists the elements Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine, Hydrogen, Neon and Argon, along with their atomic weight. Under the Neon element, it shows a Dodge Neon, and shows it costing $10,300. Pretty cheap !
Pictured above is a 2001 Dodge Neon R/T brochure from Chrysler. This car came from the factory with a 2.0 High Output Magnum SOHC motor. It came with 16 inch wheels, and leather interior was an option as well!
Last but not least, we have a signed poster from Jayde Nicole, a model that was being used in the Vibrant Performance booth at Sema 2007. Jayde went on in 2008 to become a model for Playboy, and she became quite famous after her breakout modeling position with Vibrant. How lucky were we to be able to get a poster of her, signed no less before she became famous! She was just as beautiful in person as in this poster as well !
