VA, VA, VROOM! Chrysler's all-American 300C wows with panache and power.(Auto File)(Product/Service Evaluation)

Return with us to THOSE thrilling days of yesteryear, when American V8s drove the rear wheels and roamed the stoplights of the nation looking for races. At some point we lost our way, straying to front-drive, V6s and plastic bumpers.

It's taken awhile, but we have finally come to our senses. Proper drivetrains have return-ed, arguably best exemplified by the mighty Chrysler 300C, and everybody loves it.

"The 300C really is a great car,'' wrote one owner. "It turns heads and draws comments wherever I go. It is big, roomy and-at least until the SRT version is available [next spring]-the most powerful car available at anywhere near its price.

"And it looks kick-ass bad!''

Just how kick-ass we found out after a day of thrashing the car around our test track.

To start, we eked a hair-under-six-second time from 0 to 60 mph, impressive considering Chrysler pitted its 340-horse Hemi V8 against a 4046-pound curb weight. In actuality, the car feels faster, due in part to a fairly compliant suspension that allows for more dive and squat than we might otherwise like; launches literally "launch'' you. That same compliance, how- ever, gives the 300C a comfortable ride that feels as American as any car the past few years.

The car's 390 lb-ft of torque means you feel it pulling all the way down the drag strip. Passing speeds are especially impressive, with a 20-to-40-mph time of 1.9 seconds and a 40-to-60 in 3.0.