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.
When you bring in two of the best custom-car builders together on one project, you can be darn certain that they’re going to make something worthy of discussion. Well, it took them a little over six months, but finally, the culmination of the joint project between Rich Evans and Mopar Underground finally showed itself at SEMA with the Rich Evans Dodge Challenger.
Not to be mistaken for any other tuned-up Challenger on the market, this special piece of work was the result of a summer-long project done together by the two aftermarket aces.
“This is one of the coolest and most interesting projects I have ever had the pleasure to work on,” Evans said. “Collaborating with the Mopar team has been a blast. The hardest part was going through Mopar catalogs and deciding which parts and accessories to use.”
Details after the jump.
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Anybody who’s ever been to SEMA will tell you that a year wouldn’t be complete without seeing a plethora of tricked-out muscle cars. Whether it’s on the showroom floor or outside the parking lot, there’s never been a shortage of Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers dressed to impress anybody who walks by them.
This particular Challenger, which was worked on by Radiatnz Inc., certainly defies logical explanation although seeing as this is SEMA, we wouldn’t expect anything less.
While the vinyl roof-top complements the purple exterior paint, we don’t really get how it goes with all the chrome, including the bumpers and the rims that was added on in the Challenger. Then, there’s the red headlights, which, quite frankly, looks like the eyes of a blood-shot machine. From a usefulness standpoint, we don’t even know how that’s going to work out on the road.
Nonetheless, this is what we signed up for with SEMA. You may not always see cars that appeal to your taste, but you definitely will leave the show with many things to talk about.
After Mopar announced its line-up for SEMA Show, Chrysler has also revealed the official detail on the Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 that will also be presented in Las Vegas. it will be offered in two versions: standard and Inaugural Edition, last limited to 1,492 units. It will go on sale at a price of $42,555.
For the exterior Dodge is offering two colors and new full-body stripe combination including Deep Water Blue with standard Stone White stripes or Bright White Clear Coat with standard Viper Blue stripes and 20-inch SRT-exclusive wheels. There will also be "392 HEMI" badges, Mopar quad exhaust tips, a larger front splitter and integrated front fender, a newly modified front fascia chin spoiler and rear decklid spoiler. The interior will offer standard Smooth Pearl White leather-trimmed seats and dual blue stripes accented by unique blue stitching and serialized “Inaugural Edition 392 HEMI” dash plaque.
Under the hood Dodge placed the legendary 392-cubic inch HEMI V8 powertrain with 470 HP and 470 lb.-ft. of torque.
Updated 11/02/2010: Dodge has revealed new images and performance numbers for the Challenger SRT8 392 that made its debut today at the SEMA Show. The muscle car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in the high 4-second range and quarter-mile elapsed time in the high 12s. Top speed has been increased to more than 180 mph with the manual transmission (173 mph in the automatic). Check out the gallery to see all the new images!
UPDATE 04/03/11: Now this comes a surprise, even for us. The Dodge Challenger SRT8 Inaugural Edition, tuned by no other than Geiger Motors, is making its way to Germany. Yeah, the land of exotic and luxury cars will be welcoming some serious American muscle to the Autobahn. There’s no official word yet on how many models of this special edition Challenger will be headed to Germany - there are only 1,492 available models - but if you live in that part of the world, be advised that the car is going to be sold at a price of €55,000, which is about $77,800 based on current exchange rates.
Press release after the jump.
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The SEMA show is always a time to show off what you can do, and Chrysler is leading this way at this year’s event. In Las Vegas, Dodge and Mopar will be unveiling the Challenger 392, which packs a 6.4-liter V8 with 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. In addition to that Challenger, the Drag Pak V10 will be shown. If you thought 470 horses was over the top, wait till you see this bad boy. The car will come with a V10 from the Viper, a two-speed transmission, roll cage, fuel cell and unique gauge cluster.
On top of the Challenger models, Dodge will also be showing the 2011 Red Line Charger concept. This vehicle will feature 22-inch wheels and a few unique body upgrades to give the car a bit more attitude. The automaker will also be bringing the new 2011 Durango, but in a unique flavor called the Black and Tan. No, this isn’t Bass Ale mixed with Guinness - for those dark beer lovers -, it’s simply a Durango with a custom interior and a wheel package.
Finally, Fiat will be bringing a Mopar designed 500 concept. The vehicle will feature flared fenders, 18-inch wheels and a special interior treatment.
Overall, Chrysler says that they will have 35 different vehicles at the SEMA show.
Hit the jump for the press release
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The 2011 Dodge Challenger and 12 other models in Chrysler’s line-up will be getting some changes made under the hood as the new Pentastar V-6 engine finds its way into the lineup. The most advanced six cylinder engine ever produced by Chrysler Powertrain group is expected to "account for more than a third of the powertrains in the vehicle line-up and substantially contribute to an overall corporate fuel efficiency improvement of more than 25 percent" by 2014.
The new V6 engine produces 305 HP at 6350 rpm - representing a 55 HP increase over the previous 3.5-liter V-6. Torque also is noticeably up with the V-6 rated at 268 lb.ft. @ 4800 rpm.
"The Pentastar engine is suited to meet the requirements for a full range of vehicle applications in terms of power and fuel efficiency including passenger cars, mini-vans and sport utilities," explained Bob Lee, vice president of engine engineering for Chrysler Group LLC. "It has been designed for today and many years to come. Already, we are looking forward to adapting future technologies as they become available to the Pentastar V-6 for even more fuel efficiency and performance."
Press release after the jump.
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