THE PONTIAC solstice andsaturn sky are affordable two-seat sportscars, but they're not, strictly speaking, Miatafighters.they're a half size bigger, they'reheavier, and they need the optional turboengine to provide enough fun to match theWorld's Most Popular sports car, whichconversely is designed more for handlingthan for speed. chrysler's dodge demonconcept, making its debut at the Genevamotor show and named after a tarted-upearly 1970s dodge dart, may ultimatelybecome the sports car GM's bob Lutz sayshe's dreamed of since his chrysler days.

As a just-shown concept, the demon isn'tready for evaluation drives. even given thechance to wring it out on a twisty road, theoversize 19-inch wheels and tires don't leaveenough room in the wheelwells for a claimed32.9-foot turning circle, which, coincidentally,splits the difference between the Miata's30.8 feet and the solstice's 35.1. For now,accept design chief trevor creed's wordthat the demon is designed to be a tighter, lighter sports car more in the mold of theMazda and less so the Pontiac and saturn.Its “production” weight of an estimated 2600pounds with 50/50 distribution also splitsthe diff between the Miata's 2476 and thesolstice's 2878. And it has a trunk, not a mailslot nor a rearward-placed glovebox—atrunk that takes a set of golf clubs, thanksto Goodyear P225/35R19 runflats and a tallrear cowl section that packages the big,17-gallon fuel tank and hard tonneau stack.this leaves room behind the tonneau andfuel tank for a fairly large, deep trunk.

Other demon numbers also are Miataesque:It's 156.5 inches long on a 95.6-inchwheelbase. Front and rear track are 58.7inches, width is 68.3 inches, and height is 51.8 inches.

A multilink rear suspension is set low tomake room for the big tank and top combo.A kick-up in the profile at the rear cowlhelps. the demon starts out thin, low, andslinky in front, while the sheetmetal behindthe doors is somewhat chunky. especially with brake ducts in the rear fenders that look like engine air-intake ducts, the back of the car comes off as a combo Porsche boxster/Ford ka/Audi TT.

Actually, the concept is all carbon fiber, notsheetmetal. And it shows off a carbon-fiberlookwindshield header, seatbacks, and dualindividual rollbars.
The demon's nose combines a “crosshair”grille above front brake ducts (not too big, thistime, thank you), with “cat's-eye” headlampsand a hood that looks a bit more Jaguar Xk8than dodge viper, the latter the inspirationfor much of the profile and front-end styling.Look more closely, and you'll see addedcurves and angles in the front clip. the profilestarts with that homage to the viper and asquared-off wheel opening and a beltline thatdrops off quickly through the door to thoserear brake ducts. Walk around the car, andthe falling beltline shapeshifts as the brightAmber Pearl paint plays with the light. dodgeAvenger and Razor concept designer Jaechung's lines provide a lot of drama.

Not so designer dan Zimmerman's (JeepRescue concept) interior. It's as realistic asany you'll find in a concept car, with familiardodge/Jeep switchgear and three-spokesteering wheel. It's a purposeful interior,offering sturdy, well-bolstered cloth seats.

How realistic is this concept? the demon'sunveiling at Geneva hints at productionviability. chrysler has been playing aroundwith small, affordable four-cylinder sportscars since 1998. With chrysler/dodge'spush into europe, such a car becomes moreeconomical because a “world market” sportscar could have demand of about 40,000 units,double, at least, north American demand.

Chrysler says officially the demon is on anall-new dedicated platform, powered by the 172-horse version of the global four-cylinderengine that's finding its way into virtuallyevery four-banger Mopar model sold, andshared with Mitsubishi and hyundai/kia.Like the car's dimensions, the engine stats also fall into Miata territory, with 165 poundfeetand an estimated 0-to-60-mph time of7.1 seconds. the engine lies beneath a big,plastic shroud under a front-hinged clamshellhood, and it's mated to a six-speed manualgearbox. top speed is an estimated 130mph. Performance numbers are estimates because the dodge demon exists now onlyas a concept, and concepts typically weigh asmuch as they cost: far more than productionintent. nevertheless, chrysler promises that,when we finally can drive the car, it'll give usa good hint at a production version. And incase the market gravitates to more powerful sports cars like the 260-horsepower solsticeGXP/sky Redline turbo, the demon couldtake the caliber sRt-4's 300-horse turboversion of the 2.4-liter global engine.

For the concept, at least, the demonuses many chrysler crossfire (aka 1998Mercedes sLk) bits, like the short/long-armfront suspension. As mentioned, there's amultilink in back.

The demon's biggest hurdle, though, isintended price. trevor creed says it wouldundercut the solstice and Miata's $20,000 or so base price by five grand, meaningyou could have one of these for the priceof a stripped Jeep compass. the idea is tosell a modern MG Midget/triumph spitfirepricedcar against the Miata and solstice/sky,representing a step up to modern MGbpricing. A sports car for everyman is a noblecause, but why not aim for a $20,000 car, astep up from entry-level compacts? offerit with a small and simple array of optionsand accessories, and it should pass mustereasily with chrysler Group bookkeepers.statically, at least, the demon comes off moreas modern-day tR3 or tR4 than spridget, amore muscular euro-style sports car, thanksto its viper design cues.

Another potential production problem isthe windshield header. Like that of a Miataor solstice, it cuts into a five-foot, 11-inchtalldriver's line of sight, only more so—itseems lower. you'd be looking above it to seeall overhead stoplights. It probably needsto be more upright for production, whichmeans a slightly taller overall height. Andwhy not sacrifice trunk space by packagingthe folding ragtop (a theoretical piece, theconcept has no top) a bit lower for a lowerrear cowl and more rakish rear-end styling?If the car is as much fun to drive as it looks,we don't need to play golf. A Miata-sizetrunklet would be marginally acceptable; asolstice/sky trunk isn't.

Chrysler is encouraged to become thenext automaker to help fill the space britishsports cars vacated when their builders gaveup the ghost. the dodge demon doesn'tneed to be practical, and it doesn't evenneed to be lightning fast—that's what bigbrother viper is for.