The Dodge Dart hasn't been around long enough for some people to know it's back, but that doesn't mean that a certain cluster of folks haven't taken notice to Dodge's->ke28 new super hatch.

That's why it's not surprising that the Dart is already gearing up for its rally debut in RallyCross, particularly that of the Global RallyCross Championship. Going on its second year, the series has already attracted some of the sport's heavyweights, including Rhys Millen, Tanner Foust, and Ken Block.

This year, the 2013 Dodge Dart will be making its inaugural racing action under SRT Motorsports with no less than four-time Rally America Champion and 17-time X-Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana manning the wheels of the rally car.

As for the car itself, the GRC Dart will share a lot qualities with the production version, with one notable exception: the powertrain. Whereas the standard model comes with a 2.4-liter MultiAir Tigershark engine that produces 184 horsepower, the rally version will pack a 2.0-liter engine that has been tuned to produce a walloping 600 horsepower and 550 lb/ft of torque, numbers that allow the car to hit 0-60 mph in just 1.9 seconds.

If you're frothing at the mouth waiting to see how Pastrana rocks the Dart in its rally guise, you can check out the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship beginning with its season debut on May 26, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

UPDATE 04/05/2012: Dodge just increased our slowly growing love for the new Dart by releasing a video of Travis Pastrana, the hired lunatic that will swing the Dart through the dirt at break-neck speeds, testing out his new rally machine. We must say, if this video doesn’t raise the hair on your neck and make you lean into the computer screen, you might want to check your pulse.

This is one of the few times that a maker has included music on a “sneak peak” type of video, but turned off the music when the car is moving, so you can actually hear this bad machine working hard. This video is simply awesome and the Dart seems to perform well with no one else on the track with it.

Take a look at the above video and see for yourself how the Dart handles a closed rally-style course. Yeah, some of it is a little dramatized, but overall Dodge did a good job with it and the inside shots are awesome, as you can see the driver feathering the throttle to perfection. Oh, and keep a close eye on the rear of the car at the 2:05 mark, as a large piece of the rear bumper gets torn off.

2012 Dodge Dart Global Rally Championship Rally Car

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Dodge Dart Global Rally Championship Rally Car
  • Horsepower: 600
  • Torque: 550
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

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