European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 07, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Randy Barnetts amps Auto columnist _ the . Auto show circuit which opened last month in los Angeles and continues in various other cities from now through late Spring is featuring a Large collection of concept cars the concepts always a Quot Staple Quot at car shows everywhere. The Chrysler corporation is showing three concepts at the american exhibitions and one of them the Chrysler 300 a has definite production possibilities the firm says. Chrysler s most recent concept car Success is the Viper which made its debut at the 1989 Frankfurt Auto show. The Viper sports car one of the sensations at that show is now going into limited production with 200 to 500 models to be produced by january of 1992. Chrysler president Robert a. Lutz who was instrumental in moving the Viper from concept to reality is also responsible for the new Chrysler 300 concept car. Lutz who recently assumed the title of president of the corporation is said to be in line to succeed chairman Lee Iacocca during the Early 1990s._ a Quot an Amateur racing Driver and motorcycle enthusiast Lutz worked for Ford and Bow before joining Chrysler. He has always been a big supporter of fast cars and he has now set the tone for the Chrysler 300 concept. Before creative work started on it he told Chrysler California design staff in Carlsbad that he wanted a car Quot that would make people Stop and  that would Stop  he also wanted the concept car to recreate the visual presence of Chrysler s luxury performance cars of the 1960s. But he stressed that the car had to have future / production possibilities. After checking Over the photos it s easy to see that Lutz got what he asked for and then some. Except for the somewhat old fashioned 1930s-like Grille the concept 4 stripes Magazine february 7, 1991 Chrysler 300 is super sleek All around. Built on a 126-Inch wheelbase the concept car has rear wheel drive and is powered by the same 8-liter, v-10 Quot Copperhead Quot engine that is used on the Viper. The engine which turns out More than 400 horsepower is mated to a 4-Speed automatic transmission. Chrysler says studies Are under Way to determine if the engine can use alternative fuel sources such As flexible fuels which utilize methanol and gasoline blends. The car s highlights include air conditioning vents in. The setback of the Driver s Quot performance Quot seat a combination television video cassette recorder cellular phone and separate headphones for rear seat passengers functional rear hinged Back doors and three Levels of Interior lighting.  / the Back doors allow for easy entry and exit Chrysler says and for safety purposes the front door must be opened before the rear door will open. There Are no fixed a pillars in the body design. The Chrysler 300 concept car is the firm 5 no. 1 Effort and it s obviously a Tough act to follow. But the designers added two More concepts for the Auto shows anyway a the Dodge Neon and the jeep wagoneer 2000. With the Neon Chrysler looks at environmental issues this car combining environmentally Friendly attributes 7 with open top driving. About the size of the Omni horizon the Neon features what Chrysler Calls Quot a revolutionary external breathing direct injection Ebdy two stroke engine Quot that provides it More Power from a smaller displacement. Of 1.1-liter displacement it is built with half the number of parts found in a conventional engine. Chrysler says that virtually every component used on the Dodge Neon can be recycled into reusable components and that Interior panels Are coded to identify the Type of plastic Furth i ing the recycling process. Other features include wheels made from recycled aluminium specially manufactured Glass to absorb. Ultraviolet Light and a body finish of water base paint this reducing dependence on Many of the chemicals used in paint manufacturing. There is also a manual on Board. Trash compactor. The jeep wagoneer 2000 concept vehicle meanwhile is a preview of what a future Crand wagoneer might look like Chrysler says. Of four door body design the wagoneer 2000 seats six adults in an unusual manner. What appear to be two leather Bench seats actually can turn into a 2 -2 2 seating configuration. The Middle of each Bench contains a smaller Center seat. The Small seats can be relocated to a position behind the second Bench to achieve Quot third Row Quot bucket seat configuration. For outdoor activities the tailgate of the futuristic wagoneer 2000 pulls Down to reveal removable stadium seats. When the Interior of the parked wagoneer 2000 gets too warm solar panel son the Forward portion of the instrument panel activate an air evacuation system to Cool the Interior. So the vehicle is never too hot when the. Driver or passengers step into  few other features on the concept vehicle include a pop up roof rack a built in trailer hitch Assembly and built in Steps that pull out of the door Sills. While concept show cars appear to be far removed from reality some actually make it into production As in the Case of Chrysler s Viper sports car. All of the ideas. Incorporated in concept cars Are Worth studying with. Many of these ideas winning acceptance and eventually appearing in production line automobiles. An automobile show without concept cars would draw few fans. Regarding the three concepts discussed in today s column Chrysler officials at the firm s German Headquarters in Frankfurt said last week that Chrysler Hopes to have the cars on display at the Geneva Auto show in March but that transportation plans Are Uncertain at the moment because of the Gulf War