Detroit Breakdown; MOTOR CITY RISES ABOVE WORLD ECONOMIC GLOOM TO CLAIM INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE SPOTLIGHT.(NEWS)

SO, HERE WE ARE. AT Detroit, the birthplace of big-displacement internal-combustion engines and the home of almighty horsepower, automakers will show a Wal-Mart warehouse's worth of hybrid, electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. But not all the news is about greening the Rust Belt. Here's a sample of what's at the North American International Auto Show, open to the public Jan. 17-24 at Cobo Center.

T 2010 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500

One Ford highlight is this Mustang Shelby GT500, a car blessed by 86-year-old Ol' Shel himself. The GT500 gets the same engine fitted to last year's limited-edition GT500KR, a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 cranking out 540 hp at 6,200 rpm and 510 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. It is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with an improved short-throw shifter. A new twin-disc 250-millimeter clutch pro-vides a smoother engagement of all that torque. A new 3:55 limited-slip differential is standard.

This new GT gets some aggressive sheetmetal, dominated by a large-mouth grille and a big power dome in the hood. A functional hood air extractor helps vent air.

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