The Dodge Charger's->ke218 return in 2006 following a 20-year hiatus prompted the company to develop a funny car racer wearing the moniker. The Charger R/T Funny Car debuted the same year and went on to win two consecutive NHRA Funny Car championships with Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman behind the wheel in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Although it failed to win titles in 2013 and 2014, the Charger Funny Car added no less than 86 national titles, 77 runner-up finishes and established 12 of the 33 three-second runs in Funny Car history. With such a strong resume to its name, the Charger returns to the drag strip->ke446 for the 2015 season with an updated body carrying the already familiar front and rear fascias of the facelifted production sedan.->ke142

Upgraded inside and out and with a more aerodynamic shell at its disposal, the 2015 Charger R/T Funny Car is set to make its debut at the 2015 Winternationals on February 5th at Auto Club Raceway->ke3657 in Pomona, California. The Charger will try to win its third Funny Car championships at the hands of Don Schumacher Racing.

Click past the jump to read more about the Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car Competition.

Exterior

Naturally, the Funny Car has very little in common with the production Charger, being developed on a virtual platform and wearing a body that's a far cry from the four-door shell of the 2015 model. Sure, the extremely aerodynamic body retains some of the Charger's trademark cues, such as front and rear fascia layouts, which are incorporated in the Funny Car's livery, but other than that we're looking at a dragster that wears the Charger moniker for the sake of marketing.

Outside the new livery and the updated front and rear graphics, the 2015 version of the Charger Funny Car features a few design changes as well. The cockpit area has been moved deeper toward the rear, a measure that improves visibility for the drivers and minimizes the effects of potential destructive forces that may occur in the unfortunate event of a blown engine. And that's known to happen quite often in the Funny Car series.

Dodge and Mopar also focused on reducing the body's weight while maintaining its aerodynamic properties. This was achieved by building a composite, one-piece body from Kevlar and carbon-fiber. As a result, the vehicle tips the scales at only 2,400 pounds. Developed by the same team of engineers who created the 2014 Dodge Dart Pro Stock dragster, the Charger Funny Car underwent aerodynamic wind tunnel testing at Dodge's facility in Auburn Hills.

The racer showcased at SEMA is wrapped in a red-and-black livery with Dodge and Mopar logos and sports the company's 50th Anniversary HEMI badge on its nose; a strong indication of what's motivating this beast.

Interior

Dodge has yet to release any photos of the dragster's interior, but we all know there's nothing fancy about this Charger's cockpit. The single-seat configuration is wrapped in an NHRA-approved roll cage and the driver's position is surrounded by the basic controls and switches this race car needs to run a quarter mile. As with most modern race cars, safety comes first.

Drivetrain

Motivating this lightning-fast Charger is a supercharged, 500-cubic-inch (8.2-liter), V-8, HEMI engine that delivers no less than 10,000 horsepower, an output that puts the Charger Hellcat and its 707 horses to shame.

The huge amount of oomph is enough to send this funny car flying down the quarter mile in less than four seconds with speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Of course, all these amazing numbers are possible thanks to its incredible nitro-methane fuel system that injects 90 gallons of fuel per minute. Now that's something the folks over at the EPA wouldn't be too happy to hear.

Prices

Pricing for these type of monstrous vehicles are usually held under wraps, but we're looking at a six-figure sum to say the least.

Conclusion

Having lost the Funny Car championship in both 2013 and 2014, Dodge has big plans for the 2015 drag racing season and the updated Charger seems like the proper machine to try and regain its glory at the drag strip. Only time will tell if this monster has what it takes to win yet another title, all we know is its the most radical and powerful Charger ever built. The 2015 Charger R/T Funny Car is certaily nothing to laugh at.