According to the dictionary, the term personal transport would be defined as personal, relating to oneself, and transport, to carry or move from one place to another. Now for many people, that's fine when you simply want to get from here to there; the problem is, few performance-oriented enthusiasts want to just blend in. When Chrysler debuted the new retro-styled PT (Personal Transport) Cruiser to the automotive marketplace in 1999, they never imagined the popularity it would garner. Once the model established itself, it was inevitable that the aftermarket would make all sorts of goodies to accent the PT; customizers would work their magic on them as well.
Star Coach Performance in Bowersville, Georgia, is a custom outfitter that upgrades late-model vehicles with high-quality aftermarket parts. They added a dash of this with a twist of that to the PT Cruiser, which is a cool-enough ride on its own, and voila, a Star Cruiser was born. Options for hoods, grilles, and deck wings abound. The appearance portion of this particular mix consists of a fiberglass hood by Keystone Restyling, 17-inch Tsunami wheels by American Racing Custom Wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich Euro rubber measuring 205/40-17s for both the front and the rear, and a Xenon aftermarket body restyling kit employed all around. The body components were painted factory Deep Cranberry Pearl.
To add the aforementioned twist ingredient, a Whipple supercharger kit was bolted onto the factory's 150hp engine, boosting the output to 240 traffic-manipulating horses. This particular PT came with a four-speed automatic transaxle, which was left stock, while a Flowmaster muffler with dual exits routes exhaust gases back to the rear valance. The Star Cruiser's interior closely resembles the factory interior; the Royale leather-covered bucket seats give the driver and the passenger comfort comparable to DaimlerChrysler's luxury liners. For entertainment value, Star Coach uses Audiovox components and can install such toys as an overhead console with a flip-down TV and VCR, or DVD player. A navigational system is available for the adventurous type.
With these modifications, Star Coach has melded the popularity of the PT Cruiser with the performance offered by the aftermarket. It's been said that every day a star is born; in this case, it's a Star Cruiser.