For sales war between the Big Three is starting to reach a fever pitch as Chrysler, GM, and Ford compete for consumer dollars and motorsports pride. But it isn’t just big muscle cars that are carrying the performance flag these days. Ford’s Fiesta has taken on the newly minted sport of RallyCross, a combination of rally racing with X-Games flair.
The Fiesta, piloted by Tanner Foust, has dominated the American RallyCross circuit. But it is about to get some big competition from a 600 horsepower version of Dodge’s new compact car, the Dart.
For its driver, Dodge has enlisted perennial Foust opponent Travis Pastrana, who will drive the 600 horsepower Dart during the 2012 RallyCross season. Power comes from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that also cranks out 550 ft-lbs of torque. Power goes to the ground through an all-wheel drive system.
Don’t get too excited though Mopar fans. Chrysler has no plans for a 600 horsepower, AWD Dart any time soon…although rumor has it a 300 horsepower SRT version might be in the works. True, it’d look better as a coupe, but the Dart sedan has a charm all its own. We look forward to seeing the Dart going head-to-head with Ford’s compact offerings on the RallyCross track.