The Dodge Challenger has come into the world in three completely different generations. The first generation Challenger was a pony car produced from 1970-1974 and the second generation ranged from 1978-1983 and was a badge engineered Mitsubishi Galant Lambda. The third, current generation came about in 2008 and was produced to compete against the Mustang and the Camaro, two muscle cars that had outlived the pony car era.
The current generation Challenger is built on the Charger/Chrysler 300C platform and features rear-wheel drive and an independent rear suspension. It is powered by a choice of three engines: a 3.5L V6 that produces 250HP and 250 lb-ft of torque, a 5.7L V8 delivering 372HP and 400 lb-ft of torque, and the top-of-the-line 6.1L V8 producing 425HP and 420 lb-ft of torque. These engines are mated to either a 6-speed manual pr 5-speed automatic transmission.
A lot of us may be too young to remember the glory days of auto movies in the 70s, but for those old enough to remember a movie called Vanishing Point starring Barry Newman, this little tuning project may be if interest. In the movie, Newman plays the role of Kowalski, man who makes some sort of bet that he could take a white 1970 Dodge Challenger and drive it all the way the from Colorado to San Francisco in just 15 hours. Apparently, Vanishing Point was one of the most iconic car movies of the era, having enjoyed cult status to its fans, including one Bob Frederick.
As the dealer of New Wilmington Dodge and a long-time fan of the movie, Frederick decided to do something really cool to pay homage to one of his favorite flicks by unveiling a special edition model of the 392 Inaugural Edition Dodge Challenger SRT8 and calling it the “Kowalski Edition”.
Hit the jump to read more about the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 "Kowalski Edition."
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The new Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 will be seen more on U.S. streets than anywhere else, but now German customers can revel in muscle car glory as Geiger Cars is offering a few units of the 1492 copies available for the Inaugural Edition on their side of the pond. With transport, however, comes a massive price increase. On the US market, the limited edition Challenger is priced from $42,555, but in Germany, prices will start from 55,000 €, or $77,000 at the current exchange rates.
We’d be okay with the crazy price jump if Geiger Cars took the opportunity to pump up the muscle in the Dodge, but this is not the case. The tuner went through the trouble of bringing the car to the German market and left it entirely unchanged - not that there was anything that needed to be changed anyway. Under the hood there is the same powerful 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine that delivers a total of 470 HP and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. The muscle car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in the high 4-second range and runs the quarter-mile in the high 12 second range. Top speed has been increased to more than 180 mph with the manual transmission (173 mph in the automatic).
We assume Geiger Cars will offer the Challenger in both colors - Deep Water Blue with standard Stone White stripes and Bright White Clear Coat with standard Viper Blue stripes. The car sits on 20-inch wheels with polished chrome rims combined with high-performance Brembo brakes red brake calipers. The interior gets sporty leather seats painted in a combination of white and blue.
Owners of the 2008-2010MY Dodge Challenger will be relieved to know that their cars aren’t going to be left out on the tuning arms race of later year models after noted tuning firm Lingenfelter announced a performance package for these specific Challenger models. Breath easy now, folks.
The supercharger package for the Challenger will include a Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger in black powdercoat finish, a 160-degree thermostat, upgraded fuel injectors, and a high-flow intake system.
Lingenfelter’s Dodge Challenger Supercharger Package will be available for the HEMI 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter engines and according to Lingenfelter, tests done on the 6.1-liter HEMI engine produced 500 rear-wheel horsepower and 450 lb/ft of torque.
“Our engineering specialists are able to tune today’s Challengers to deliver increased performance, as demonstrated when the Lingenfelter 6.1L Challenger recently ran a best of 12.03-seconds at 120 mph at the Muncie Dragway in Indiana," said Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter.
"With more than 30 years of expertise in fine-tuning engines, we have the capabilities to give auto enthusiasts more speed, greater power and enhanced overall performance."
All three items Lingenfelter pointed out are covered in their new supercharger package for the Dodge Challenger, which should become a boon for all owners of the car looking to add more juice to their shakers.
If Chrysler doesn’t end up utilizing the b>Cuda name they just recently registered, at least we’ll have Droptop Customs’ personal Cuda program to help dull the pain. Their new tuning project based off of the 2009 Dodge Challenger is powered by a 6.1 liter SRT8 HEMI engine mated to six-speed manual transmission. This engine is the same engine used in the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8, but we’re expecting more than the 425hp and 420lb-ft of torque considering it will also be getting a Mopar Catback exhaust system and a pistol grip Hurst shifter. For even better performance, Droptop Customs also added a KW coilover suspension with strut tower braces for both the front and the rear axles.
The exterior modifications for the Challenger include a special front grille, an updated aerodynamics, a shaker hood, and a retro rear bumper from HXC. DropTop Customs also added a new set of 20" BBS lightweight alloy wheels painted in black and contrasting with a yellow paint job, which were a big hit when the Cuda had its run in the seventies. The interior only received minor changes with a Kicker entertainment system and an electric-powered black soft top.
The new Challenger SRT8 392 will make its competitors go green with envy - Literally! - with the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 edition carrying this exact name revealed at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. The new Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Green With Envy is already available with a price tag of $44,875.
"We’re using Green With Envy on the new 2011 Dodge Challengers to pay tribute to some of the coolest paint colors from our past, including the "Sublime" and "Green Go" Dodge Challengers from the 1970’s and more recently, the "Snakeskin Green" Vipers from 2008-2010," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President , Product Design — Chrysler Group LLC. "Not only will this exclusive heritage color remain unique to the Dodge brand, it adds another fresh and exciting element to our modern American muscle coupe."
Also paying tribute to the greens of the past is the Challenger R/T Classic which will be available in the Green With Envy color starting late in the first quarter.
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