HispanicBusiness

In days of yore, American sedans came with huge V-8s and plenty of power. Then emissions and fuel economy took over. The Oldsmobile Rocket 88 went away--and so did Oldsmobile itself. Chrysler and Ford big block sedans bit the dust, too.

Now Chrysler--with the aid of a Mercedes-Benz E class platform--is back in the family zoom business. It's the Chrysler 300C SRT8 with a "hemi"--remember them?--engine of 6.1L, V-8 configuration and a whopping 425 horsepower.

That catapults the retro-styled sedan to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds or better.

The V-8 and its five-speed automatic transmission drive the rear wheels of course. Front-wheel drive can't handle all that power without turning the vehicle into a post hole digger.

And in the great American tradition, the 300C SRT8 more or less just bulls its way around curves. It does it on sheer power, not finesse. In fact, you won't find "finesse" anywhere on the option list.

Actually the SRT (for Street Racing Technology) does go around curves fairly accurately but with little road sense in picking out a path. You're never in distress, though, thanks to the electronic stability control. Chrysler avers the stability control is set for performance, not Nanny.

To deal with all that power, the suspension is performance-tuned, which means it's a very firm ride. All the bumps are felt in an active ride.

Exterior styling is tweaked to add a new trunk lid and taillights but it's still the 300C with its 1960 muscle car look. The windows are smaller, the car hunches over big tires and the V-8 rumbles.

Leather seats look to be aggressive but are comfortable as well. There's a great amount of front legroom and seating recalls the old "chair height" days.

The nicely visible navigation screen buries the radio control. Don't look for the M-B cruise control stalk. It's been replaced with a generic, import-like stub.

The banker hotrods of the past lacked a host of features the SRT8 can boast. These include: four wheel anti-lock disc brakes, the stability control, adaptive cruise control, rain sensing windshield wipers, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, leather shifter, compass, satellite radio, power sunroof, and a rear seat video entertainment system.

This being Chrysler--the cup holder leader--there's LED lighting for the front seat cup holders.

Oh, and a gas-guzzler tax of $2,100.

That's because there's one more yesteryear touch in the Chrysler 300C SRT8. The fuel economy is only 13 city and 18 highway. Now if we could only get gas back to a buck a gallon . . .

Chrysler 300C SRT8 •Engine: 6.1L V-8 •Dimensions: 120.4" wheelbase; 198.8." length. •Base price: $41,585/tested $48,995. •Fuel economy: 13/18 mpg.•