2009 Saleen Mustang Lineup

In 2009, Saleen Mustangs will be moving a little upscale. Much like your modern automotive manufacturer, Saleen can afford to bump up it's models now that it has a "base model" in it's Racecraft brand. The line will also be limited since production of the 2009 Mustang is rumored to be limited to around 45,000 units to make way for the new 2010 model.

“The campaign for the year is titled ‘the Pinnacle,’ as we intend to solidify Saleen’s position as the leader in exclusive performance vehicles,” says Marques McCammon, General manager at Saleen Automotive. “My vision is to move the brand up with more exclusivity in every model, with fewer, more substantive offerings.”

For 2009 Saleen will feature a new wheel design, various exterior details, and a special interior treatment specific to each model. The S302 model will feature 580 horsepower in S trim level.

The heritage models will be limited to two special editions, a continuation of the Dan Gurney model and a "Super Saleen" that will put out an as of now unspecified amount of power.

Add some Mustang S Style Wheels to spice up your 'Stang from AmericanMuscle.

2009 Cadillac CTS-V First Look

Cadillac is on a mission. Long have they played second fiddle to the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and other luxury auto makers. For a brand once known as the "Standard of the World," they weren't just going to lie down and give up to the Germans and the Japanese.

GM as a whole has been on a roll lately. The new Malibu is receiving praise, the Corvette ZR1 will be terrorizing roads soon. The new Camaro is making huge waves. The newly redesigned CTS sedan was crowned as Motor Trend's Car of the Year. And they follow up with a out of the park home run, the new CTS-V.

As you would imagine, the new "V" is powered by a small block. It was developed along with the ZR1's powerplant and features such racy items as a dry sump oil system and the saddle-mount twin intercooler bricks that allowed the LS9 to limbo in under the Vette's low hoodline.

The same quiet, efficient, four-lobe blower design is used, though it's a bit smaller and makes less boost (8.7 psi versus 10.5). Using LS2-like valvetrain restricts the Caddy's redline to 6200 rpm, while the ZR1's low-mass bits tolerate 6600 revs. Befitting the sedan's statelier nature, the Corvette's loud-mode exhaust is ditched in favor of a quieter system with four catalysts and a modest resonator (it's quiet, but for resonant drone at 1500 rpm). The sound is dominated by pleasing V-8 induction noise embellished with a bit of supercharger whine.

The bad Caddy puts out 556 hp at 6100 rpm and 551 lb-ft at 3800 rpm; that's down 82 horses and 53 lb-ft from the ZR1's power peak, but, more important, it trumps rivals like the M5 (by 56 hp and 168 lb-ft) and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (by 49/86). In Europe, the Audi RS6 has Cadillac outhorsed with 571, but that naturally aspirated spinner falls short by 72 lb-ft of twist, and AWD bloats its weight-to-power ratio to equal that of the CTS-V-7.7 lb/hp. And only Cadillac offers a no-cost choice of six-speed transmissions: paddle-shifted planetary automatic or a proper three-pedal stick.

Both the stick and the automatic cross the 60-mph mark in 4.1 sec, but taller gearing in the manual's first three gears blunts its quarter mile slightly (12.4 sec at 117.1 mph versus the automatic's 12.3 at 117.5). Either transmission performs comfortably ahead of the M5 (4.5, 12.5@114.9) and E63 AMG (4.3, 12.7@113.0). If you're looking for autobahn supremacy opt for the manual, which tops out at a reported 193 mph in sixth, while the automatic is limited to 175 to protect the transmission.

All of this power is routed through a heavily revised suspension. Second-generation Magnetic Ride Control shocks, like those on the ZR1, work magic in expanding the envelope of comfortable ride and sharp handling. Tour and Sport settings offer completely different control logic. Each has the bandwidth to go full-firm or full-soft in an instant, but Sport elevates the baseline damping control and lowers the thresholds of steering, braking, or road inputs that trigger a damping-rate change. Tour provides supple ride comfort with reasonable body-motion control on twisty, imperfect public roads, but when running hard on a smooth track or up a mountain pass, Sport curtails roll and pitch far more aggressively by instantaneously transitioning to high jounce-damping rates at the wheels on the outside of a turn and high rebound-damping on the inside, or full jounce front/rebound rear during braking.

The CTS-V uses Brembo brakes on all four corners, with six-piston front, four-piston rear calipers chomping on huge 15.0-in. front rotors featuring co-cast technology (iron braking surfaces and cooling vents cast around an aluminum hub and spokes). The 14.7-in. rears are all iron. An optional track package swaps traditional bolted iron/aluminum rotors for the co-cast ones, eliminates the surface grooves (they compromise pad life in heavy track usage), and paints the calipers red. 60-0 times are around 105 feet.

Cadillac's new super four door CTS-V may or may not entice buyers away from BMW and Mercedes showrooms. Those types of customers aren't always enamored with quarter mile times and other performance numbers. But it may make them think twice. For those of us who appreciate a little burning rubber smell with our cushy leather interiors, the Cadillac CTS-V goes on sale soon.