Having broken off its relationship with Ford Motor Company, KVE proceeded with a clean sheet design for its next 2+2 sports/GT coupe. Riding on a 106 inch wheelbase, the new car utilized a double-wishbone front suspension, like the preceding Tiamat 4600GT, but for the rear, a new multi-link independent design would be utilized. The car’s styling, now free from the constraints of the aged platform KVE had used since the 1987 Mielikki 5000GT, promised to be less awkward and more sleek than its predecessors.
The only thing the new car needed was an engine.
Although Chrysler Corporation had developed a new 5.7L Hemi V-8 for 2003, KVE felt that going for a more established engine would be more prudent, and approached General Motors in mid-2002, to discuss the possibility of using its LS1 and Northstar V8 engines. The last time GM and KVE had collaborated was in 1970, and the relationship did not end on the best of terms. Still, KVE hoped that the automotive giant would be receptive to their requests, and much to their surprise, was found more than willing to provide both powerplants to them.
Now with an engine, KVE’s powertrain specialists felt the LS1 would be suitable for use in the new car, and after installing a new, more aggressive camshaft and replacing the stock exhaust manifolds with tubular stainless steel headers, along a bit of ECU tuning, the engine would produce 380 horsepower and 380 pound feet of torque. The new engine would be backed with either a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual or a GM 4L60-E 4-speed automatic.
The new car would have bodywork quite unlike the models that preceded it, although the front end somewhat hearkened back to KVE’s first model, the Artemis. KVE had also decided to eschew the lightweight sheet molded compound body panels in favor of stamped steel panels, which would result in a more crash-worthy structure, and unfortunately, a much heavier car than its predecessors, on the order on 3950 pounds. The car would wear 19x9 inch forged aluminum alloy wheels, with 245/35/19 and 255/30/19 Pirelli PZero tires front and back, respectively. Braking would be performed by ABS-assisted 14" rotors on all corners, with Brembo 4-piston calipers.
KVE’s new car, dubbed the Ishtar 5700GT, was handed over to automotive journalists shortly before it went on sale in March of 2003. Despite its considerable heft, the new car could sprint from 0-60 in just 4.6 seconds, with a 13.14 second quarter mile time with the 6-speed manual. The automatic was more disappointing, taking 5.4 seconds to get to 60, and 13.98 seconds to travese 1320 feet. Both cars would reach a 171 mile per hour top speed. The new car was also quite capable on the track, beating the '02 Tiamat’s lap times on KVE’s test track by nearly one second, despite being considerably larger and nearly 500 pounds heavier. The critics were quite impressed with the new car, although they somewhat scoffed at the $51700 list price, which was considerably more than that of the Tiamat. They also criticized the car as being overweight.
KVE would take steps to overcome the latter issue in the future, but in the meantime, Ishtar 5700GT would prove to be another success for KVE: 2612 5700GTs would be sold for 2003, along with 2993 for 2004, and 2154 for 2005.
