The XLR is motivated by a 4.6L DOHC Northstar V-8 making about 330 hp, up from a 300-hp rating in DeVille DTS trim. This compares favorably with the power ratings offered by Lexus and Mercedes. Tweaks for XLR duty include a forged crank, direct-mount accessories, a drive-by-wire throttle, and the additional breathing capability afforded by variable valve timing. In the beginning, there will be one transmission: a five-speed automatic with sequential up- and downshifting. Leone wouldn't discuss the notion of a much-rumored manual.
You can have the XLR's plastic body panels finished in black, silver, shale, medium red, deep blue, or gray metallic. What happened to the aluminum bodywork originally considered? Leone says the low weight and corrosion and dent resistance of composite body panels won the day. Certainly, aluminum's generally higher initial and potential repair costs must have also worked against it. Yet Leone says the XLR's body-quality standards are set to match those of its aforementioned steel-bodied rivals.
The XLR's retractable hardtop is a tour-de-force bit of technical origami that folds and stows itself in the trunk at the push of a single button. The supplier, interestingly, is a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Porsche called Car-Top Systems. Leone assures us that, unlike the Allanté's, this too will be wind/watertight and squeak free.
A finely crafted cabin is critical in this class of automobile; the market will not accept less, and the standards out there are high. Warm-toned Eucalyptus wood covers the XLR's door handles, shifter, steering wheel, and center console. Anodized aluminum panels with a fine lithographed finish cool and modernize the look; the metal bits are splashed on the center stack, steering wheel, sill plate, and door trim.
Jeweler Bulgari designed the watch-like analog instrumentation, which consists of a 160-mph speedo, a 7000-rpm tach with 6500-rpm redline, and smaller coolant and fuel gauges; the graphics on these smaller gauges seems a bit too fine for a quick read. The XLR carries a GM first: radar-based adaptive cruise control. There's also a head-up display on the windshield showing speed, adaptive-cruise-control operation, gear selection, and priority messages about things like low voltage or overheating.
Other goodies include a GPS-based navigation system, hands-free phone, XM radio, a six-CD in-dash unit, park assist, heated and cooled bucket seats, front- and side-impact airbags, and a stability-control system. Nostalgia (and in-car romance) freaks, rejoice: The drive-in movie lives. You can play DVDs on the dash nav screen-as long as the transmission is in Park. Interestingly, there will be no Night Vision system: Leone tells us demand for this gadget has fallen off. Instead, the XLR packs seriously bright high-intensity-discharge high and low beams.
This isn't a traditional-looking car, so it's no surprise it doesn't have a traditional ignition key. Instead, a fob-like transmitter communicates with a hidden antenna. With the transmitter in your pocket, takeoff involves stepping on the brake, pressing a starter button on the dash, engaging a gear, and hitting the gas-something we'll look forward to doing in just a few months' time.