December 8, 2007
Details and Photos: 2008.5 Dodge Challenger
by Justin Couture
The rising price of fuel and greater consciousness towards the environment has done little to wane the enthusiasm surrounding America's latest performance machines. Headlines regarding the upcoming Camaro, the new super-powerful Corvette and the next Cadillac CTS-v have been hitting newsstands and internet websites on a daily basis. As the upcoming auto show season is preparing to gear up, peoples' interests in Mopar performance is also on the rise, namely the muscular new 2008.5 Dodge Challenger.
A handful of Challenger detail photos were released to whet enthusiasts' appetites before the production vehicle is finally unveiled for the first time at next year's Chicago auto show. Dodge chose to offer the Challenger first in SRT8 guise in order to keep Mopar muscle enthusiasts happy, before offering other versions.
The first photo is a close-up shot of the car's grille, which shows the detailing of the retro-style mesh rather than the traditional crosshair featured on Dodge's cars. The other shots include that of the SRT8 badge on the matte black rear spoiler, a shot of the slim, the five-spoke alloy wheel, rectangular tailpipe and the metal-finish gas cap are all indicators of the car's authentic retro attributes.
Chrysler will offer the first batch of Challenger SRT8s in one of three colors, Silver, Black and Hemi Orange, the latter of which is the most popular with pre-orders by far. All three variations will have the carbon fiber stripes that the concept featured, plus a limited edition serial number on the dashboard and every car will feature a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick manual mode as standard equipment.
Over the first three days of pre-order availability, 6,600 orders have been taken by dealers, and that number must surely have risen at the end of the first week. Total production of the first limited edition batch has yet to be capped, though Kathy Graham, a Dodge spokesperson said that less than 10,000 units would be built.
Various sources suggest that Dodge will eventually expand the Challenger nameplate to a variety of different models, a good thing being that Dodge estimates there are over 50,000 potential customers for the two-door muscle car, more than the Charger sedan when it was launched. These variations reportedly include an R/T model, which will be powered by the next-generation 5.7-liter HEMI V8, as well as a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 for the base SXT model. The base V6 will be upgraded to a 4.0-liter unit beyond model year 2011. After the first initial run of Challengers, which are all SRT8-powered and automatic transmissions, Dodge is planning to offer both the R/T and future SRT8 models with a six-speed Tremec T56 manual transmission.
Dodge has priced the Challenger SRT8 at $37,995 (including destination), but not including gas-guzzler's tax. The only options for the car are the MyGig audio/navigation system, a sunroof and an upgrade from all-season to high-performance summer tires. And for those that miss out on the first batch, there's always model year 2009...
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