Under the hood of an icon

The all-new Chevrolet Corvette unveiled at the Detroit motor show provided the first appearance of the engine expected to go into the Holden Commodore range from next year.

The Corvette's 6-litre V8 Gen IV unit, in LS2 specification the largest, most powerful standard small-block engine ever offered in Corvette, is almost certain to replace the 5.7-litre Gen III engine in the 2005 VZ Series II Commodore update.

In the new C6 Corvette - the sixth generation of the American icon - it produces around 300kW (400bhp) at 6000rpm and 540Nm (about 400 lb-ft) of torque at 4400rpm. General Motors says it propels the car to a top speed of about 300km/h (180mph).

The LS2 Corvette unit comes with gearboxes familiar to Holden performance car fans.

The six-speed manual is the Tremec T-56, which is available with the choice of two sets of ratios, one with more aggressive ratios reserved for a new performance package called Z51.

The four-speed automatic option is the Hydra-Matic 4L65-E automatic transmission, upgraded from the Corvette C5's 4L60-E and strengthened and revised to accommodate the LS2's increase in torque.

But while the Corvette's engine and gearboxes have a place in Holden's world, the car itself is unlikely to go into right-hand-drive production.

The C6 Corvette gets a systematic update, with new engine, new body, new interior and heavily revised suspension.

The body is 127mm shorter than the C5, and roughly 25mm narrower, with a 0.28 aerodynamic coefficient of drag - honed, says GM, by 400 hours in the wind tunnel and racing experience.

Gone are the retractable headlights which have been a Corvette feature since 1962, while underneath the mudguards sit larger 18-inch front and 19-inch rear alloy wheels.

The C6 shares its underpinnings with the Cadillac XLR and there are three suspension choices: standard, GM's magnetic Selective Ride Control and Z51.

Production of the C6 coupe is scheduled to begin next month.

A convertible version will be unveiled in May/June.

The latest Ford Mustang is also unlikely to be built in right-hand drive for this part of the world. The current model was imported into Australia and converted to right-hand-drive by Ford's performance people between October 2000 and July 2002.

Ford has gone back to its styling roots for the new Mustang, the first all-new model since 1979.

It salutes the original 1964 coupe and the update that followed in 1967 - the version Steve McQueen thrashed through the streets of San Francisco in the 1968 movie Bullitt.

The familiar long-deck, short-rear is there. So are the styling details, including three-piece tail-lights, C-shaped side scoops, circular headlights and a forward-angled nose emblazoned in the centre with the galloping horse badge.

"We weren't just redesigning a car, we were adding another chapter to an epic," said J. Mays, Ford's design guru.

"The new Mustang's modern design speaks to its technical advancement without losing the classic Mustang bad-boy image."

The Mustang is expected to go into production in the US around June 2005.

For all its style, the Mustang remains a pretty orthodox car mechanically, true to its traditional role of delivering accessible sports performance to the masses.

A 4.0-litre single overhead camshaft V6 will kick the range off with pricing tipped to start under US$20,000 ($29,500). The engine, which replaces a pushrod 3.8-litre V6, delivers 151kW (202kW) and 319Nm of torque.

More impressive is the 4.6-litre V8 GT version which, with its double overhead camshafts and three-valve head, produces 224kW (300bhp) and 427Nm.

Both engines mate standard to different Tremec five-speed manual gearboxes, with a five-speed automatic option. There's also electronic throttle control and faster engine management controls to assist in the delivery of power and torque.

Underpinning all this is a new platform based on the design used by the Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type, but with MacPherson strut front suspension allied to a three-link rear axle with Panhard rod.

The Mustang has disc brakes all-round, and both ABS and switchable traction control are available.

Ford has put plenty of effort into the interior as well.

A variety of choices are available, including a claimed "industry-first" colour-configurable instrument panel so drivers can can mix and match lighting at the touch of a button to create more than 125 different colour backgrounds "to suit their personality, mood, outfit or whim".