Dodge Dart SRT photo leaked on Neon forum

On Tuesday, Dodge revealed the specs and equipment of the 2013 Dart GT ahead of its official unveiling at the Detroit auto show. For the moment it's the top Dart trim to be officially confirmed, although the automaker said it was looking into an R/T version.

What we didn't know then is that a leaked picture of what looks to be the Dart SRT had been floating around a Neon internet forum for a few days. The picture was grabbed off a computer screen -- hence its poor quality -- and is labeled a “preliminary sketch.” A watermark from Tim Doyle, the lead exterior designer of the Dart, adds a touch of legitimacy to the image.

In the sketch we can see a more aggressive front bumper with integrated fog lights. The hood has a rather large scoop and the prominent Dodge crosshairs are either deleted or blacked out in the upper grille. The rims look similar to the current wheels but the tires appear to be extremely low profile. Of course, that could just be a design flourish that won't make it to production.

The Dodge Dart GT will house the 184-hp, 2.4-liter Tigershark engine, so the SRT version will have more power than that. It could see something from Alfa Romeo's stable of engines or an upgraded version of the four-cylinder engine.

We do know that it will have a manual transmission -- all the Dart sedans have one as standard -- and will cost more than the GT's $21,790 base price.

On the web forum where the image appeared, comments range from “fake” to “AWD turbo or bust.” Our favorite was from username Loroku who said “it looks like a Focus RS and Neon SRT4 had a child.”

At least no one can accuse the SRT fans of not being passionate -- or imaginative. As soon as we find out more, we'll let you know.

By Jake Lingeman