Ford GT mouse

It’s a safe bet if you’re reading this, you’re a car person and you’re computer savvy. So this may just be one of those stocking stuffers you give yourself. Nothing says "Merry Christmas to me" like an optical mouse shaped like a Ford GT.

If FoMoCo isn’t your taste, they also have mice that look like the Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette Z06, Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee.

2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8

Exterior

This car has all the look of the original. A true badass.

Everything about this car screams that it is out to do bad tings. The slope of the front end gives the car a looked of an angry furrowed brow. The tall and wide rear wheel arches give the Challenger broad shoulders. The slab sides means this car casts a long shadow. Very cool.

The coupe body hides this Challenger’s large size. Original muscle cars were based on large cars, and this one is no exception. The Challenger uses the same full-size platform as the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. This means it’s not always the easiest to park, but we also get lots of room everywhere. Our Challenger actually over half a foot longer than the original 70s car, and that was built in a time when Detroit’s key to success was to make the cars “lower, wider and longer.”

Someone was asleep in the accessory department. We had a great bright red/orange paintjob (Dodge calls “TorRed”), with some cool looking racing stripes on the hood. From about five feet away, anyone can tell these stripes are made from a faux carbon fiber sticker. It would have been a lot cooler if Dodge had just painted it black.

Aside from the minor complaints, the Challenger is a retro car we can get behind. Dodge caught all the right elements from the original car’s looks. This car was built to go fast, but we still got chills when it idled slowly through our parking lot.

Interior

This car is all about the exterior, so some of the elements are forgivable. It is mostly an assembly of parts from the Chrysler parts bin. The climate controls, touch screen navigation system, gauges, and all the other minor elements are known bits from other cars. Anyone who has spent time in a Charger will feel right at home in a Challenger.

There is no three-spoke steering wheel. This is almost a sin in the sports car world, especially a retro sports car. But one thing from the original car that Dodge got absolutely right was the pistol-grip shifter. It’s fun to hold at all times, and it sometimes encouraged unconscious shifting because many of us just kept our right hand on it at all times.

The back seat is a great addition. Because of its big car nature, the Challenger has reasonable seating for three behind the front seats. It’s enough room that you could almost convince your wife that the Challenger is a family car

Nissan GT-R by Cobra

Cobra Technology is ready for the release of the Nissan GT-R on the European market. Although no cars have hit the street there (officially), it allocation for 2009 is already sold out. So the modified Cobra N+ GT-R may already be on a few European wish lists.

Cobra reprogrammed the ECU, boost pressure is increased by 0.15 bar, and the air intake is modified with sport air filters. It claims this increases the standard 485 hp to 550 hp (but also remember that GT-Rs will usually appear more powerful than they actually are on a dyno.)

Other upgrades to the GT-R include three-piece lightweight 21-inch Cobra N+ light-alloy wheels, eight-piston brake calipers, and adjustable coil-over suspension. There is also a body kit with Cobra N+ front apron with large air dams, rocker panels, and rear apron.

It’s a tough thing to mess with Godzilla. The engineers at Nissan spent about seven years getting everything right, so even a body kit may seriously mess with the aerodynamics from the factory. But if nothing else, Europe will love the black and gold paint scheme that should remind many of the John Player Special F1 racers of the 1970s.

Hennessey Godzilla 700 based on the Nissan GT-R

Hennessey Performance is known mostly for modifying American muscle, especially the dodge Viper. But there are also foreign cars in the book of tricks, including the Nissan GT-R.

There are two packages: Godzilla 600 and Godzilla 700 costing $11,500 to $18,500 respectively. The package’s names explain all the important information. Hennessey takes the (claimed) 480 hp and upgrades the airflow to get 600 hp in the Godzilla 600, and adds new turbochargers and intercoolers to get 700 hp in the Godzilla 700.

Replacing the the turbochargers and intercoolers will not only probably make Nissan and its warranty devision not too happy, but also could be a little tricky considering Nissan spent about seven years developing the car and the individually-built engine. Let’s hope Hennessey knows what it’s doing.

Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss

It only makes sense that Mercedes would choose Detroit in January to debut the windowless and topless SLR Stirling Moss edition, right? This snow-in-your-hair super roadster will make its first public showing at the North American International Auto Show.

The last and most extreme version of the Mercedes SLR will be limited to 75 units and cost €750,000 (about $1.07 million at direct current rates.) The only thing separating the drive from nature in this speedster is the sleek carbon fiber bodywork, and a tonneau cover that can be applied over the passenger area à la old school topless racers.

The SLR Stirling Moss comes with the 5.5-liter supercharged V8 from the 722 SLR, which makes 650 hp. Without a windshield, this roadster can still hit a rip-your-face-off top speed of 217 mph.

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