It was back in April when our Steve Ference took a ride in one of DeNooyer Performance Division's souped up Camaros. The muscle cars are part of a strategy to reach high-end buyers and improve General Motor's image after their financial struggles. Now, Steve talks with the men behind the local business that's started getting national attention.

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ROTTERDAM, N.Y. -- At Redline Motorsports in Rotterdam, it's gone from a simple idea to a new concept in cars heard around the world.

Redline Motorsports President, Howard Tanner, said, "To finally get it to a point where you're getting national attention from a business and hobby to that level, you can't beat it."

Since Redline teamed up with DeNooyer Chevrolet's Performance Division, they've done something no other dealer in the country is doing. And you don't have to be a car enthusiast to know these aren't your average cars, starting in the mid $70s for 525 horsepower.

Tanner said, "And we have our supercar, which is eclipsing 800, which is really a car with everything in it, no options, braking, handling and performance all in one package."

The national attention? A top-ten award at a major Las Vegas trade show, out of 850 other cars. And this...

Dan Carlton, DeNooyer Performance Division General Manager, said, "Chevrolet when they saw we were doing these cars and the kind of reception we were getting nationally, they kind of tapped us on the shoulder and said, listen we need your help to promote our brand. And that's why recently we were on the cover of GM Performance Parts catalogue. It's never happened in the history of Chevrolet that they had a dealer tuner modified car that's been on the cover."

It comes after GM closed dealerships around the country once the economy tanked. But now, at least here, they're remaking the success of muscle cars in the 60's for a new generation of enthusiasts.

Carlton said, "And the majority of clients buying these cars, they're from 50 to 70 years old. Most of them are those who didn't have a lot growing up. People would think they're for people who have a lot of money. A lot of them are people who worked really, really hard for something like this but could never afford it."

While they say the market is solid, this is also about putting Albany on the map.

"I definitely think it's international," said Carlton. "The cars we've built up to now, we built around 50 cars last year. There's probably been about four or five in New York State. Other than that it's all over. I've personally delivered cars to West Virginia, to Florida, to Texas, to Cape Cod, to New Jersey."

Tanner said, "We give a guy the option to one-up his buddy, one that's going to have a little more heat to it."

...It's an idea driven by high performance specialists, a local car dealership, and a company hoping to polish its image as upstate New York looks to claim its title as a serious player in the national car scene.