Steve Saleen's big plans for 2009

With a little help from Detroit, Steve Saleen is fanning the flames of the ol' musclecar war. No longer content with just modifying Mustangs, the former head of Saleen Inc. is branching out.

First Steve rolled out the SMS Limited Signature Series Dodge Challenger, and now we have some more details on a Saleen version of the 2010 Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. For 2009, SMS Limited will not only build the SMS 570 and 570X Challengers, but also the SMS 460 Mustang and later in the year a line of SMS Camaros in their 150,000-square-foot facility in Anaheim, California.

All of the cars will get SMS superchargers, tweaked suspensions, and unique exterior styling elements, and the superchargers are more efficient and provide better cooling than anything they've used before. The company is also putting a new emphasis on upscale interiors, with better materials that should justify the cars' higher sticker prices.

SMS Challenger production should begin this month, with 2010 Mustangs starting to show up in the spring. And if all goes according to plan, Camaros should start rolling out by the end of the year. Customers wanting a bit of Saleen magic applied to their musclecars will be able to order them through select Dodge, Ford or Chevrolet dealerships.

Ethanol powered Ford Mustang chases speed record

Brent Hajek loves racing cars and corn. The Oklahoma corn farmer is also the proprietor of a race car museum, and has managed to combine his two passions in an effort to set a new land speed record.

The idea sprung from a record that Ford set with a Mustang Mach 1 some 40 years ago. Hajek wanted to commemorate the event by returning to Bonneville, and even got the original record driver's son to pilot his modified S197 Mustang. The idea really gained steam – and support from FoMoCo – when Hajek and co. decided to go for the record using E85 bio-ethanol.

They set a top speed of 252.78 mph, which will be a new record if and when they manage to replicate it so it can be etched into the books. In the meantime, Hajek is convinced the initiative will pave the way for Ford to produce an E85-powered Mustang straight from the factory.

Check out the video for a look at the record breaking event, and pardon the corny hair band music (and the pun).

RDP Motorsport Dodge Challenger - 1,000 hp and twin superchargers

Anything approaching 1,000hp is a sure recipe for tire roasting, sideways driving mayhem. If that type of maddeningly uncontrollable power quenches your appetite for destruction, there is a new member in the insane horsepower club.

The RDP Motorsports tuned Dodge Challenger features a stroked 6.1 liter HEMI that displaces 440 cubic inches. The block is topped off with not one, but two superchargers and offers up an astounding 1,000 horsepower. That's enough power to push the heavy Challenger down the quarter mile in the nine second range, if you can get traction.

This over the top pony car was revealed at the PRI Show in Florida. The Australian company will be happy to replicate this car for the right price, or will work with buyers to create their own custom combination.