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As we pulled to the stoplight, the passenger side window of the 300C idling alongside shot down.

“That thing got the BIG HEMI?” the driver hollered.

“Yup.”

“Have to trade my car in then,” he said.

At the next light, another 300C pulled alongside and the inquiring mind also motored his window down.

“That … ” he started to ask. Before he could finish, we answered “Yup, the BIG HEMI.”

The reason for motorist concern is that Chrysler offers two versions of its Hemi V-8, a 5.7-liter, 340-hosepower version in the Chrysler 300C and Magnum R/T and a 6.1-liter, 425-h.p. in the 300C SRT8 that’s on sale now. (The Magnum R/T SRT8 goes on sale this summer.)

If a 340-h.p. Hemi could attract 43 percent of all 300 sedan buyers to opt for the high-performance and higher-priced C version, Chrysler figured a 425-h.p. upgrade would reel in even more enthusiasts–and maybe get them to forget checking out a Ford Mustang or Pontiac GTO.

The SRT8 is the product of Chrysler’s performance group headed by Dan Knott, director of street and track racing technology. SRT was created to boost the automaker’s performance image.

The SRT8 is a significant step up in power. It was available for a track adventure at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., during the annual Midwest Automotive Media Association spring rally.

The track was a fitting venue for 300C SRT8 testing, considering every buyer of an SRT8 in 300C, Dodge Magnum or Jeep Grand Cherokee form gets to spend a day at a Skip Barber driving school, compliments of Chrysler.

Chrysler makes the offer to allow buyers to learn the nuances of performance motoring and their own limits on the track rather than on the road.

“All owners will get a day at the track because we feel it’s important for them to learn how to handle this car safely on the road, because, at 425 h.p., this is a serious engine,” Knot said.

Road America proved the Hemi in SRT8 can push the speedometer into the three-digit territory very quickly on the straightaways while accelerating out of the turns with spirit.

A steering system tuned for precise, no-hesitation response to wheel input, high-performance and solid-grip 20-inch radials along with a beefed-up suspension meant sure-footed handling. The car sat flat when pressed hard into and out of all of the track’s twists and turns without lean, sway or wander. Mission of stable and controlled movement accomplished.

Two seemingly small details pay big dividends for the SRT8. The leather seats come with suede inserts on the bottoms, and the steering wheel has leather hand grips.

“The suede inserts and hand grips are designed to keep your butt in the seat and hands on the wheel during aggressive driving so neither your body nor your hands slip,” Knott said.

Both worked as advertised on the track. The driver did not slip or slide at high speed and in quick maneuvers. The inserts and grips are a simple touch that make a major difference.

It also helps that the SRT8 comes with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control to maintain directional stability and keep the car from slipping or sliding in oversteer or understeer situations.

And what you get on the track is what you get on the interstate, though at much more reasonable speeds.

One piece of advice. If you get an SRT8 on the track, slip the 5-speed automatic into the Autostick manual mode so you do the shifting to keep the transmission from wandering in searching for a higher gear.

There’s no manual. The 300C SRT8 is built at Chrysler’s plant in Brampton, Ontario, alongside the 300, Magnum and Charger. None of those offer manuals either, so there was no need to add to production complexity, Knott said.

Besides the larger Hemi, the SRT8 also differs from the regular 300C in that it doesn’t offer all-wheel-drive. And the 300C comes with 18-inch radials rather than the SRT8’s 20-inch monsters. Those 20-inch radials, however, aren’t all-season’s so a winter tire is optional–but recommended if you want to drive the car all winter.

The SRT8 also does without cylinder management that shuts down 4 cylinders when not need to conserve fuel in the regular 300C.

That’s one reason the 5.7-liter is rated at 17 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway and the 6.1 is rated at 14/20.

“We don’t rule it [cylinder management] out in the future, but we will get better fuel economy in the future” even without it, Knott promised.

While the SRT8 is a blast to drive, had to wonder why the higher output Hemi was brought out only months after the regular Hemi. Usually automakers wait until sales start to soften before adding a twist.

“With the 300C, we built lots of credibility in the car and so we decided to make hay while the sun shines,” said Knott.

So is an even higher output Hemi in the offing?

Stay tuned, he said.

It must be noted that the SRT8 tested was a 2005 model, one of only a few hundred built and quickly sold.

When the new 2006 version comes out in June, those who hesitated are going to have to dig a bit deeper into purse or pocket. The base price rose $2,550, to $41,920, and freight went up $50, to $675.

Chrysler took advantage of the market and skyrocketing sales. Through April, 300 sales rose 235 percent, to 49,089 units, from 14,653 a year earlier, when it had just arrived.

Knott, however, said only a few thousand SRT8s will be built to keep volume low and attract collectors.

As for other nuances, sensors in the front passenger seat deactivate the air bag if a small person or child is sitting there. Side-curtain air bags run $440 in an option package that includes a cabin air-filtration system.

For $1,965, you can add a navigation system as well as Sirius satellite radio with one year free service. The test vehicle came with Sirius tuned to the new 24-hour Elvis station, which provided about one recognizable song each hour.

The Dodge Magnum gets the 6.1-liter and SRT8 designation this summer; the Dodge Charger, due out in June with the 5.7-liter Hemi, goes SRT8 in the fourth quarter; and it’s the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s turn in the first quarter of next year. That’s when Jeep will boast of a sport-utility vehicle capable of zero- to 60-m.p.h. acceleration in about 4 seconds.

The Grand Cherokee SRT8 will be offered with four-wheel-drive, but not with 4WD low for off-roading because sometimes you can’t go just anywhere in a Jeep with a Hemi under the hood.

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TEST DRIVE

2005 Chrysler 300C SRT8

Wheelbase: 120 inches

Length: 196.8 inches

Engine: 6.1-liter, 425-h.p. Hemi V-8

Transmission: 5-speed automatic with Autostick manual mode

Fuel economy: 14 m.p.g. city/20 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $39,370

Price as tested: $42,725. Includes $440 for option group I with side-curtain air bags and cabin air-filtering system; $1,965 for option group II with Sirius satellite radio with one-year free service, GPS navigation system with CD and MP3 players and hands-free phone communication; and $950 for power moonroof. Add $625 for freight.

Pluses: Car that makes a statement for its owners, profit for its manufacturer. The great looks of the 300C combined with the great performance of the larger 6.1-liter Hemi V-8. Excellent ride and sure-footed handling on road and at track. Comes with high-performance driving lessons during a day at the track.

Minuses: Limited run of ’05s all accounted for and ’06s coming in June, with price hike of $2,550, plus $50 more for freight. Not for mileage-minded.

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Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com