BootCamp

Interesting article. Pretty much what we expected though.
While it did put SOME specs out there, a lot of important ones were omitted - more because the Challenger is only available in one flavor right now. That'll change in '09.
I'd be curious to see how the skid-pad numbers compare, as well as interior (rear seat leg room in particular) and trunk area. I also think the 6 speed manual transmission in a shorter gear ratio (3.93 in the 6 speed vs. 3.06 in the auto) will significantly change the acceleration numbers for the '09 SRT8.
Can you imagine how much HP the Challenger 6.1L would have if it were comparably equipped to a GT500? Supercharge that bad-boy and we're talking about 600 horses under the hood. Yikes!
Actually, the more I think about it, the '09 R/T with the smaller wheels (18"s vs. the 20"s on the SRT8), slightly shorter gears (3.73 vs 3.06 on the SRT8) and possibly a slight weight savings with the manual tranny and less "bling" MAY very well kick out nearly identical numbers to the '08 SRT8, - with the exception of getting much better gas mileage.

As long as we don't have all of the numbers, we really can't accurately compare the two cars. I'll reserve judgment until all of the numbers come out.
As far as looks, I think the Challenger is just as true to the original as the Mustang.
Right now, in 10 minutes on the interstate, I'll see at least a dozen Mustangs going in either direction. I don't think you'll see as many Challengers, and honestly, I like that idea. I want something that not too many other folks have.
I'm not taking anything away from the Mustang. It's a very good value - lots of bang for the buck. But for all of the multitude of variations it's available in, and the fact that I've been seeing them everywhere for four model years now, the attraction (for me) is long gone.
If Ford keeps coming out with more variations on the Mustang, they might want to consider changing the name to the "Ford Opinion" since it'll seem like everyone has one.