It wasn’t too long ago that we were reporting about the all new American super car, the Devon Motorworks GTX set the single lap record for a production car at the historic Laguna Seca circuit in Salinas, California with a time of 1:35.075. Justin Bell, the owner of Devon, might have offended a few people at Chrysler when he gave them a low ball offer to purchase the Viper brand, because earlier today the American automaker tackled the infamous Corkscrew and managed to shave over a second off of the GTX’s lap time with an all new 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR and Chrysler engineer Chris Winkler behind the wheel. The hard core track tuned Viper unofficially clocked in at 1:33:915, not only good enough to reset the record, but bring a bit more value to Chrysler’s halo car.
Press release and video after the jump.
> More
.
The Mopar display at the 2009 SEMA Show was huge, however the one car that stuck out like a sore thumb was Chrysler’s 1/4 mile conquering Dodge Challenger 1320. The drag racing Challenger is essentially a street legal version of the special order lightweight Drag Pak Challenger that has already been stripped of over 1,000 pounds and is sold specifically to very serious drag racers. Powering the 1320 is a 426 cubic inch all aluminum Hemi V8 crate motor that starts off making a total of 556 HP and 540 lb-ft of torque and gets its own unique exhaust note thanks to a set of Mopar long tube headers and free flowing pipes.
On the inside, everything in front of your eyes will be familiar for Challenger fans, however a few of the other interior pieces, like the bucket seats and shifter, have been sourced from the much more exotic Dodge Viper. On the outside, Mopar keeps the Challenger 1320 simple with a basic yellow paint scheme complete with blacked out hood, tail section, a set of steelies from their police car program and only a few basic decals. However we have to say that the christmas tree incorporated into the "1" is pretty sweet.
.
If you have enough patience to take a quick look over the documents released by Chrysler regarding their 2010-2014 Business Plan Meeting you will notice something that will make you very happy. Besides promises like "70% of vehicle line renewed by 2010 and 100% by 2012", there is another good news: the company has under consideration a Dodge Viper successor for 2012.
As you might now, the sports car will go out of production in July 2010, after four generations, and to be honest not quite such a big success. With a history started back in 2012, the Viper will end its life with a final run of 500 units, sold as a special edition.
But Viper’s fan can still hope! And it seems that not only there might be a replacement in 2012, but the car might also be influenced by Fiat owners.
Just another Dodge Challenger customized for SEMA. This one is coming from the newly-formed Petty’s Garage and will be sold January at the Barrett-Jackson auction. The money raised from car’s sell will go to the Petty Family Foundation.
The 2009 Dodge Challenger was completely disassembled and placed on a rotisserie so it could be painted the trademark Petty Blue by BASF R-M. Reassembly included a Late Model 426 Hemi by Arrington Engines with 585 hp, Pedders suspension upgrades, Brembo Gran Turismo brakes, a new Corsa Exhaust system with a Petty’s Garage custom center exhaust exit and refinished all of the suspension to Petty Parts Blue by BASF R-M. Body Modifications consisted of a Petty’s Garage custom front fascia and rear bumper cover, Petty’s Garage custom rocker panels, rear spoiler and Petty’s Garage branded interior seats and door panels.
Press release after the jump.
> More
Dodge revealed this week-end the 2010 Challenger for NASCAR Nationwide Series. Dodge will provide support for Penske Racing’s two-car operation in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, in addition to Penske’s three teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Penske Racing will field two teams, both running the full-season schedule. The Dodge Challenger will be used at the four “New Car” races NASCAR has designated, starting at Daytona in July. At the other 31 events that complete the 35-race season, Penske Racing will field Dodge Chargers as it did this season with the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger driven by Justin Allgaier. NASCAR is expecting full integration of the “New Car” in 2011.
Press release after the jump.
> More
The skies opened up and the sun shone down upon us here at Top Speed recently when we received a call from our test car supplier letting us know that they had something special in store for this weekend. What showed up later on that afternoon was a Viper Red 2009 SRT-10, never before had any shade of red been so adequately named. This is was not our first time getting behind the wheel of the 8.4 Liter ten cylinder convertible, but there is just something about this shade of red that pops along and when combined with our car’s optional lightweight forged rims, showing off those bright red brake calipers, that makes this venomous vehicle something special.
Anyone familiar with the interior of a Dodge Viper will tell you just how minimalist the cockpit of these cars can be, with a few select white face gauges in front of the driver and a few auxiliary dials stacked just off to the side, even the an AM/FM/CD player radio is nothing to write home about. However creature comforts are not what this car is about, even though the interior does looks nicer than we remember, perhaps due to an improvement in materials. One thing that was very familiar was the smell of the V10, the radiating heat it emitted and the feel of that six speed manual shifter vibrating in your right hand, that is because Team Viper set out to make the most visceral performance machine ever built in the U.S.; and they have succeeded. Unfortunately Dodge needed their car back so our pleasant surprise was untimely cut short, but any time spent behind the wheel is well worth it.
With the increase in displacement to a full 8.4 Liters, the maximum output of the V10 has gone up to an even 600 HP and 560 lb-ft of torque. The 2009 SRT-10 can accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds, run the standing quarter mile in 10.9 seconds @128 MPH and reach a top speed of 202 MPH; all while averaging and estimated 12 MPG in the city and a rather impressive 22 MPG when cruising at highway speeds. The only option that our 2009 Viper Red Dodge came with were a set of optional forged rims which brought the modern American muscle car’s rice tag up to $93,000; not too bad for the closest thing you can get to a 1968 Corvette.
.
The Ultimate Towing package won’t be the only Mopar pick up on display next week at SEMA, that is because the decked out Chromed Ram Heavy-Duty Crew Cab based on a 2010 Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4x4 will also be in attendance. The work truck will feature a unique “Chrome Theme” and will stand head and shoulders above the competition thanks to a Mopar 2-inch lift kit and a set of off road ready 35 inch tires.
The complete list of Mopar parts include: chromed tube steps featuring 5 inch oval side steps with black molded end caps, slip-resistant pads and heavy-duty drill-free mounting brackets to aid entry and exit of the vehicle, a set of chromed door-sill guards for the front and rear to protect the truck’s interior from muddy boots and scratches. The Chromed Ram Heavy-Duty also comes with a chrome, of course, tailgate bezel with integrated backup camera that adds further elements of style and enhanced safety to the Ram 2500 while a chromed fuel filler door and matchign exhaust tip finish off the Dodge’s shining persona.
Press release after the jump.
> More
Amongst the wide variety of tuner creations that will be unveiled at SEMA, Mopar will be bringing along the Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Ultimate Tow Machine, a custom ride like none other. The customized pick up truck is based on a 2010 Dodge 3500 Mega Cab 4x4 Laramie, and will be one of the more functional modified rides at the show. While most aftermarket manufacturers are focusing on hot rod models with increased performance and lower ride heights, the Ultimate Tow Machine is more suited to trailer an array of automobiles to the show than star in it, but after making the drive all the way to Las Vegas, why not park it inside with all the other rides.
The bed mounted gooseneck hitch allows the Dodge 3500 to tow up to 16,450 pounds and carry as much as 5,150 pounds of cargo contained in the box in the back. The Ultimate Tow Vehicle is covered in a Bright White paint job and features a few other creature comforts aimed at making hauling a whole lot easier. For instance the pick up features a Mopar Retractable Bed Step facilitating getting in and out of the back, Uconnect Web from Mopar so that you can stay connected to the 21st century and a set of Mopar Slush Mats to make sure that the dirty work doesn’t make its way into the upholster; because after all that is what this truck is all about.
Full options and prices after the jump.
> More
.
Chrysler’s in house tuning division, Mopar, is pretty busy these days preparing their lineup of high performance modified muscle cars for the SEMA Show next week. Aside from the quarter mile conquering Dodge Challenger 1320, the Dodge booth will include at least one other hot rod Challenger. The other Challenger will be a reworked R/T that makes use of almost every part in the Mopar catalog. With everything from a Mopar intake to their stage 2 coil overs, it is almost as if someone threw the entire book at the modern muscle car in order to create this SEMA ready show car.
The Challenger will be painted red and feature quite a few flat black accents to help the glossy surface pop. The blacked out treatment includes a Mopar Go-Wing Rear Spoiler and a set of side stripes as well as the traditional black bars running down the hood with a special Mopar touch. Finishing off the R/T Challenger are a set of retro rally wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter, giving the modern muscle car the perfect touch of nostalgia.
Full list of specifications and prices after the jump.
> More
The SEMA show will be filled with hot rod American muscle cars amongst a multitude of high performance vehicles when they open the doors to the Las Vegas Convention Center next week. One of the many tuning shops from around the nation that will be in attendance is SpeedFactory, and they will be bringing the world’s first all aluminum 440 cubic inch Hemi powered Challenger. The speed shop has performed open heart surgery on the Mopar muscle car and replaced the standard iron heart 6.1 Liter Hemi V8. SpeedFactory bored and stroked the SRT-8’s Hemi all the way up to a displacement of 7.2 Liters, which converts to the magical number, 440 in American.
The result is a Dodge Challenger that can make 700 HP on pump gas and has been massaged enough to be reliable as a daily driver. Covering the best part of the car is a matte black carbon fiber hood, complimented by a set of matching SpeedFactory side stripes. The rest of the good stuff is hidden behind a set of BBS CH-R Black Edition flow formed wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter that make the Mopar paint pop. The SpeedFactory STR-8 is equally as dressed up on the inside with some new upholstery and a retro shifter. As far as modern American muscle cars are concerned this big block Challenger will be at the top of the heap.
Press release after the jump.
> More
Pages: 
Picture Gallery
Post a comment
RSS -
Webmaster free news |