Need more Speed?

CLARK, PAMPANGA, Philippines – The Clark International Speedway hosted Chevrolet Philippines’ latest treat. Introducing the Chevrolet Cruze CMP (Chevrolet Motorsports Program) Street Car Edition. Racer boys listen up, as this Chevy will surely tickle your fancy.

Largely inspired by the Cruze’s success in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), the CMP Street Car Edition is a pumped up version of the Cruze that’s been designed to exhilarate and excite even more than the standard variant. Mr. Arby Andaya, Program Director of CMP, pointed out that a large portion of the Cruze’s target market is young people who love to customize their rides. Seeing that the car is simply ripe for vehicle personalization, CMP capitalized on the opportunity to release a factory tuned sport version of the Cruze.

Chevrolet Philippines partnered with Blanco Race Engineering (BRE), a local tuning firm headed by Columbian tuning-ace Francisco “Pacho” Blanco to help hot-rod the Chevy. With Blanco’s experience in building the Cruze for competition in the PTCC (Philippine Touring Car Championship), CMP found the perfect partner in coming up with this thrilling vehicle.

BRE made sure that this hardcore offering would have the right dose of show and go. For starters, a tasteful make-over from A-toy Bodykits drapes the Cruze with a more chiseled appearance. Accentuating the understated but classy look is larger rims care-of 18-inch Concept One Replika wheels that are wrapped in grippy Nitto tires. Lowering the stance and aiding handling is a set of H&R performance springs. Although not yet available as of press time, BRE is developing performance dampers with its partners to further improve the car’s handling. Inside, Leder Interia improves the upholstery department with some luxurious cowhide on the seats. BRE then took care of the engine mods by dropping in a less restrictive air intake, and slapping on Blanco’s self designed exhaust system. Not for the faint of heart, this car now sounds louder and meaner.

The CMP-BRE trackday which was held last October 7, allowed the local media to sample this most lovable Chevy. The day began with some introductory lessons on performance driving and familiarization with the track. For the morning session, everyone was on board the stock Cruze, so as to give people a comparison once they were behind the CMP Street Car Edition. All were able to get a feel of the car’s balanced nature when it comes to performance and safety. BRE instructors especially highlighted the Cruze’s impressive braking system that’s equipped with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution). For the uninitiated, ABS prevents wheel lock ups during hard braking, while EBD keeps the car tracking straight during an emergency stop.

On the afternoon session, participants were let loose on the more aggressive CMP Street Car variants. Off the bat, it was easy to feel that this model was more suited to the demands of spirited driving. Tauter and more powerful, the “modded” Cruze was fun to throw around corners and inspired more confidence at high speed. As mentioned, the throatier exhaust sounded awesome, goading drivers to gun the Cruze upon every exit.

Most impressive about the Cruze CMP Street Car Edition though was its reliability. All day the cars were punished inside the track: engines ran through redline, tires screaming turn after turn, brakes pounded before every apex. But not a word of complain from these CMP cars. Worth noting of course are the brakes, which even though were left untouched, were able to sustain the abuse of track driving. This is testament to the Cruze’s sturdy build quality out of the box.

For the list of upgrades, CMP is projecting a P200,000 increase over the stock vehicle’s price. Moreover, the sport treatment can be applied to all variants of the Cruze namely the L, LS, and LT to allow for buyer flexibility. BRE will give a limited warranty on the individual after-market parts to help provide customers with some peace of mind.

Although the customization of the Cruze can be done individually, there’s nothing like the factory assured workmanship that comes with dealer offered variants. The CMP Street Car Edition is proof of this, and is indeed a commendable effort from Chevrolet Philippines. With the CMP Street Car Edition, more people will indeed be saying, “I love this Chevy.”