Mr. Norm is an important figure in Mopar’s muscle car history. His Spauling Dodge dealership was best known for selling tuned Hemis and special edition E-Bodies right out of the showroom. Well it is now 2009 and Mr. Norm is up to his old tricks again, this time with some modern muscle. Based on the Dodge Challenger SRT-8, the 426 Hemi Challenger and 426 Hemi Cuda Convertibles from Mr. Norm take the memorable styling and performance of the original, iconic, muscle cars and present them in a modern package.
More than just a pair of show cars, Mr. Norm’s 426 Hemi Challenger and 426 Hemi Cuda Convertibles deliver overwhelming performance that is equally matched by the vehicle’s superlative handling capabilities. The stock 6.1 Liter Hemi V8 has been modified with a forged crank, rods and pistons that work in harmony to increase engine displacement to 7 liters, or the magic Mopar number of 426, cubic inches of course. Sitting atop the freshly reinforced motor is Mr. Norm’s Signature Kenne Bell twin screw supercharger that pumps enough air into the Hemi to generate a ground pounding 725 HP.
In order to make the most of that much power, the Challenger’s original hardware has been replaced with a beefy Viper SRT-10 spec Dana 44 rear differential and stronger drive shafts along with a host of chassis bracing frame connectors that bring the drive train up to spec with the output of the blown 426 Hemi. Mr. Norm prepares his cars with a custom cat back exhaust for that perfect muscle car rumble and handling is taken care of with a set of fully adjustable coil-overs hidden behind a set of 20 inch Thrust wheels.
Both modern muscle cars are inspired by the classic models and feature some components that are a direct throwback to the classic models. Like a new grille inspired by the 1971 Challenger, a shaker hood scoop, Hemi billboard graphics, and taillights inspired by the 1971 Hemi Cuda with custom tail panel featuring the genuine ’71 ’Cuda script. The interiors however are all 21st century with glove soft Katzkin black custom leather and suede covered seats that are accented with yellow stitching to complement the wild exterior colors and graphics.
Chevrolet’s 2010 Camaro is on top of the pony car sales charts outpacing Ford’s reworked Mustang and the last of the modern day muscle cars, the Dodge Challenger is trailing far behind. It appears that all the hype General Motors has been generating about the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is paying off, just last June the General sold 9,320 bowties with 10,000 more sales to fill; while the blue oval only moved 7,632 Mustangs and the Pentastar brand has only managed to find homes for 1,369 Challengers.
Ford offers more variety with the Mustang, but it looks like the General is offering what the people want with only two models. The RS being a 300 HP V6 that gets 29 MPG on the highway and the SS featuring the familiar small block V8 that Chevrolet fans have come to adore since the 1950. This is the same 6.2 Liter LS3 power plant that can be found under the forward opening hood of the Corvette.
While Ford offers a variety of power packages led by the Shelby GT500 that are available as both convertibles and hard tops, there is even an optional plexiglass roof panel. Perhaps by flooding the market with too many variations of the Mustang the American automaker has overwhelmed consumers. Perhaps Chevrolet has been able to sell more units by offering a less complicated buying experience and producing a much more desirable pony car. Either way this is only the beginning of the second chapter of the classic American rivalry, it looks like the muscle car days are making a comeback.
George Hurst’s performance shifter company is back with an all new signature version of the 2009 Dodge Challenger. This Mopar is called Competition/Plus and is available in a series of colors befitting the Mopar color pallet, like: B5 Blue, Hemi Orange and TorRed. Hurst Performance is a company that made a name for themselves drag racing and parading around the beautiful blonde Miss Linda Vaughanin all across the U.S. in the 1960s. Their continued success into the 21st century has proven that Hurst is here to stay.
The Competition/Plus package transforms not only the acceleration performance of the modern American muscle car but the handling as well. The kit includes an Eibach suspension setup, a Magnaflow exhaust system for the right tone and custom Hurst 20 inch rims. The interior features some nice touches like color-matched leather inserts and stitching that compliments the matte black exterior accents; and of course a Competition/Plus short throw shifter with the classic cue ball knob.
So this 4th of July weekend, no matter what side of the pond ye be on, you must acknowledge that the classic American muscle car tuner Hurst has created something very special with the Competition/Plus Challenger. Just looking at the car’s stance and silhouette, the temptation to reach through the screen and get behind the wheel of this car is overwhelming. Since Hurst hasn’t released any official details, it will give you something to talk about this weekend.
The tuners at KW have just finished working on a complete muscle car makeover for the Dodge Challenger. The hot rod tuners will only build a few examples of this Mopar masterpiece, so collector’s status is guaranteed.
To allow the 6.1 Liter Hemi to breathe easier and improve the engine’s performance, KW added a K&N sport air filter and an all new free flowing exhaust system. The Challenger is being equipped with a set of HRE 995R forged alloy wheels finished in brushed aluminum. To top it all off, KW went a step further with Lamborghini style doors.
The boys at 5th Gear learned a thing or two about American muscle when they took a new Hemi powered Dodge Challenger SRT-8 out for a ride. The SRT-8 is set apart from standard Challengers by its 6.1 Liter V8 with hemispherical combustion chambers that allow the modern muscle car to make 426 HP and go from 0 to 60 MPH in only 5.5 seconds.
Back in the 70’s when America was in the middle of a love affair with the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, the other member of the Detroit 3 – Dodge – had to come up with their own muscle car or risk becoming just an afterthought to what has become a ‘vehicular arms race’ between Ford and Chevy.
Dodge did release its own muscle car – the Dodge Challenger – and to this day, it is universally recognized as one of America’s true muscle cars.
The Challenger’s design was done by Carl Cameron, the same man who was responsible for the design of the 1966 Dodge Charger. Although the Challenger took off in the eyes of the public at the start – 76,935 cars were produced for the 1970 model year – the changing times and the waning interest in the pony car segment meant that the Challenger didn’t live a long life and was out of production in 1974. Ironically, as a result of its short shelf-lif,e not a lot of Challenger models lived to see the turn of the millennium – especially the 440 R/T version, which only had 163 models built. As a result, those who did have the specific-modeled car ended up owning a priceless piece of American muscle-car history.
In today’s era of mergers and bankruptcies, it seems logical for a car manufacturer to find some ways to reignite their floundering industry. For the Detroit 3 – Ford, Chrysler, and GM – one of those ways just might be sitting under their noses, parked in their garages and waiting to be unleashed to the public once more.
We’re talking about ’Muscles’, baby – those unassuming-looking yet extremely powerful muscle cars that dominated the streets of America back in the day.
While Ford has never been guilty of throwing a blanket on their Mustang series, the company has never really taken the time out to develop a Mustang that can carry the company back to prominence as it did in the 60’s and 70’s. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when Ford decided to revitalize the Mustang brand much to the warm reception from people that have been clamouring for the car’s ultimate renaissance.
The U.S. Air Force has partnered up with Galpin Austo Sports for an innovative recruiting strategy that kicked off last month. The aerial branch of the U.S. military decided the best way to grab hold of their nation’s youth was with a pair of highly modified modern day muscle cars. The team from G.A.S. (better known from MTV’s Pimp my Ride!) transformed a Ford Mustang into a beautiful pearlescent fighter jet codenamed the “X-1”; and a radar absorbing stealth bomber dubbed “Vapor” out of a Dodge Challenger.
The Air Force-inspired tuner cars will travel across the country as part of a mobile marketing campaign in an attempt for the Air Force to educate America’s youth about the mechanical and technical career opportunities they offer. If you want to see these two machines in person, the 2009 Super Car Tour will make its rounds to high schools as well as a variety of Air Force sponsored events like the DUB magazine car show, the tuner friendly Hot Import Nights shows, Battle of the Imports, Formula Drift, International Hot Rod Association and local community events.
Together the Mustang “X-1” and “Vapor” Challenger form one of the baddest fleets of high dollar tuner cars in the world. The vehicles are a combination of form, function and big money electronic equipment fused into two very attractive packages. If you want to see the buildup process of these two super cars, the Air Force has you covered, just visit http://www.airforce.com/supercar.
To see all that went into these two modern day muscle cars check out the press release after the jump.
Star power couldn’t event sell this one. Towbin Dodge (from King of Cars) commissioned West Coast Customs (from Pimp My Ride) to build what the factory wouldn’t: a Dodge Challenger convertible. The car went on eBay last week but the $50K+ higest bid wasn’t even enough.
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