WardsAuto is a great source for industry news, but it’s pretty clearly not the best source for enthusiast news. Take, for example, a recent interview with Dodge SRT boss Ralph Gilles about the forthcoming compact Dodge and its possible SRT version:
“The Neon put the whole street-tuning scene on its ear with the factory turbo. We have to figure out how to get an entry-level SRT product to capture the next generation.”
The car to which Gilles refers will be a Dodge C-segment sedan derived from the same platform that shoulders the highly acclaimed European-market Alfa Romeo Giulietta offered by alliance-partner Fiat…
While Gilles is adamant that a high-performance C-car would be a welcome addition for Chrysler, he stops short of saying it’s a done deal, noting internal plans still are being hammered out.
However, it’s unlikely the entry-level model would share the 470-hp 6.4L Hemi V-8 shared by its SRT brethren introduced at the event here. [emphasis added]
Say it aint so, Dodge! I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned it’s just not a true successor to the Neon SRT-4 unless it’s got a Hemi V8… damn Italians! Seriously though, how cool is it that Wards considers a V8-powered Fiat-based compact merely “unlikely” rather than “a surefire sign of the apocalypse”?
Alternative video after the jump…
No need for the 6.4L. I’d be delighted to be able to purchase a factory 5.7L in a Giulietta derivative.
Of course, being an American, I’d like mine to be a sedan and not a 5-door.
I’ll take my 5-door with a 2 speed powerglide.
And by powerglide I take it you mean A727? Let’s keep mopar with mopar here.
/yes I realize this is all sarcasm
As Chrysler headed full speed ahead toward bankruptcy, and their engineering and marketing answer to this issue was to slap Hemi on every bit of sheet metal they sold; I’m convinced if they could have shoehorned a Hemi into the Dodge Neon, they would have.
Are you sure? Hemi’s to my knowledge only came in the larger trucks, cars, and SUV’s. The list of vehicles that don’t have a Hemi option is much longer than those that do:
No Hemi :-(
Caliber
Compass
Patriot
Sebring
Avenger
PT Cruiser
Journey
Nitro
Liberty
Town & Country
Caravan
Viper
Dakota
Wrangler
Hemi baby!
300
Charger
Grand Cherokee
Ram pickup
Missed a few
Commander
Durango
Challenger
A Fiat with a Hemi.
That should be reliable.
The engine will be very reliable. The car probably couldn’t take what the motor would dish out.
Uhm, my 71 Alfa Spider has an all aluminum dohc hemi-headed straight 4……
Could be a typo for all I know but a V8 in a C segment compact? Not in this day and age, especially if Fiat and Chrysler can come up with a 40mpg car to finalize the remaining 5% of the Fiat/Chrysler deal.
That said, perhaps a Hemi head on an inline 4 would be more like it as a possibility if anything.
And if Chrysler keeps to the spirit of the Giulietta and it’s hatchback body then they could then offer an model in a hot hatch variety to compete with the likes of the Golf GTI and its ilk through taking a lesson or two from Abarth and call it the SRT-4.
Jack Baruth: your dream car is ready.
Maybe Sajeev or Baruth can weigh in on this one. Perhaps using the transaxle out of a 5.3L Impala SS, you could mount a Hemi in a FWD vehicle. Not sure if there’s enough room under the hood, but I bet you could cobble together a Moper/Hydramatic FWD powertrain.