RE: Sema Challenger S/S Pics, Movies and more
Porsche was faced with this dilemma when the question was brought up of turbocharging the Boxster. It was quickly dismissed soley becuase of one thing: Exclusivity! Imagine this: Paying 150K for a (then 996) Twin, or paying 75K for a Turbo 986 that would perform just as well for half the price. That doesn't make financial sense for Porsche.
Dr. Z and his boys have a similar dilemma, but lack a lot of the fundamental premises that Porsche was faced with. The Viper, a contender for the Turbo 997, F430, and the Z06 Corvette, does have the same exclusive buyer as it competition. The 500 horsepower Challenger, is a different story. The Challenger will probably appeal to a broader market, because this car is going to tug on a lot more heartstrings, because this is the Challenger people remember (seriously, when was the last time you heard someone say, "Oh, the '71 Deputy. Great Gas Mileage!"), stripes, scoops, and a snarling, brawny V-8.
Moparites like us will go for either, we like going fast, and the Viper's exotic panache means nothing to us. We don't want something to run with the boys on Mulholland, we want something to dominate on Colorado!
Back to Porsche. The Box or the 911 doesn't have the memories on a broader demographic that the Challenger does, so they have to worry about the marketing strategms to make an effective sale. Of course, then again, they don't have Calibers, Strati, or Rams to stay afloat with!