2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser

Chrysler's new PT Cruiser is really turning heads, and selling well thanks to its retro styling, versatile interior, and low price. However, one thing the PT lacks is big power-until now. Whipple Superchargers has developed a bolt-on supercharger kit that the company says will deliver up to a 50-percent gain in horsepower and torque through much of the 2.4L I-4's rpm range. On a chassis dyno, Whipple claims its supercharged PT cranks out 226 hp and 244 lb-ft of torque, which is a hefty 82-lb-ft gain over stock. The complete supercharger kit costs $3650 and is a fairly straightforward installation that should take 5-8 hours to perform.

At the track, we tested two versions of Whipple's PT warriors, one with a five-speed manual and another with a four-speed auto. In addition to the supercharger, PTs were also fitted with goodies from pt-tuning.com, including lowering springs good for a 1.5-in. drop; 18x8.0-in. Fosse wheels shod with BFG G-Force 225/40ZR18 (front) and 245/40ZR18 (rear) tires; 13-in., four-piston front disc brakes; and a Race Truck Trends ground-effects kit. Visually, the PTs are hot, but hotter still are the performance increases. Even with the wide, sticky rubber, hard launches without wheelspin were tricky. Nonetheless, we hustled Whipple's five-speed PT to a 15.27-sec e.t., while trying to corral the more pronounced torque steer from the power increase. Whipple's automatic PT ran a bit slower than its manual, but still clocked a healthy 15.96-sec e.t.

The Whipple supercharger kit fits nicely under the hood and delivers 8-psi boost.

On the highway, the Whipple PTs are fairly docile. During city driving, we like how the twin-screw design of the supercharger generated great off-idle, low end power (as opposed to many other superchargers that work best at high rpm)-sans the loud whine associated with many blowers. Without ABS, the Whipple PT's aftermarket brakes worked too well thus producing lockup and slightly worse braking distances over a stock ABS-equipped PT. Even with all the performance mods, a Whipple-fortified PT will still ring in at way below the cost of most new cars-perfect for those seeking fun and practicality while working on a budget.