DSkippy

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4261447.html

It's killing all over the joint....not just a looker...

[quote]2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Test Drive: On the Streets, 425-hp Hemi Muscles With Modern Civility
Dodge Challenger SRT8

LOS ANGELES — Decades before paddle shifters and traction control, muscle cars like the 1970 Dodge Challenger brought raw V8 power to the masses. After selling over 83,000 Challengers in the first year alone, Dodge knew it had struck muscle-car gold. And like that—poof—it disappeared. Thirty-eight years later, in spite of pricey fuel and economic uncertainty, Dodge is at it again. We’d already driven a covered version of the 2008 Challenger on a rainy test track before its official unveil in February, but now it’s time for the real rubber roastin’ to begin. —Basem Wasef

The Specs
The nouveau Challenger strikes a faultless visual balance between nostalgia and clean modernity. It hits all the right notes, from its set-in headlamps and grille to its metal fuel door and flat-black spoiler lip. In person, the Challenger is imposing, making modern Mustangs look slight by comparison. Coupes just don’t have brawny dimensions like this anymore—but they should.

Unfortunately, the concept car’s retro-cool interior was ditched at the 11th hour, but what remains is a spacious cocoon that’s typical Dodge: stark, no-nonsense, functional. The seats are nicely bolstered with ultra-suede inserts and offer an excellent combination of support and comfort. The trapezoidal door panel shapes hint at Mopars of yore. The only available options on the $37,995 Challenger SRT8 are a MyGIG multimedia system with navigation, a power sunroof and sticky Goodyear F1 Supercar tires.

The Drive
Press the red Start button to fire up the 6.1-liter, 425-hp V8, and you’ll hear an exhaust note that’s not nearly as imposing as the Challenger’s gruff exterior. Throughout our day piloting a Hemi Orange SRT8 around Southern California, we were on alert for auditory evidence of the beast under the hood. But that exhaust is surprisingly mellow. A bass-inflected song becomes more evident above 4000 rpm, and microseconds between shifts were greeted with a short bark. For the most part, however, this V8 is surprisingly discreet—nothing a cat-back exhaust system can’t fix.

The V8 does its duty with a pancake-flat powerband, pulling steadily to its 6400-rpm redline. Smoky burnouts come easily, as long as the driver’s footwork is quick—an electronic throttle-control system is designed to cut the gas when both pedals are pressed simultaneously for more than two seconds.

On the serpentine roads that cut through the Angeles Crest Forest, the Challenger maintained a level of composure that suggested the stiff chassis and Bilstein coil-overs were well-sorted. Make no mistake: The Challenger weighs in at 4140 pounds, so it’s not exactly a Boxster in the canyons. But the Challenger exhibits unperturbed grip on wide, high-speed sweepers.

Later that day, we tackled Willow Springs Raceway, and the Challenger rose to the occasion again. It’s still a bulky car with a bit of uncertainty at turn-in and more steering boost than we’d like, but when shifted manually with the Autostick feature, it offers a satisfying combination of grip and power. A degree of dialed-in understeer prevents the Challenger from getting too twitchy, but heavy throttle on stretches like Turn 3—an uphill left-hander—will gently break the fat rear Goodyear F1s loose. Huge 14.2-in. front and 13.8-in. rear slotted Brembo brakes work better than they ought to on a 2-ton-plus ride like this. We found ourselves braking later and later on the track, and were never without enough stopping power. A new knock-back mitigation system resets the calipers when lateral acceleration exceeds 0.6 g’s, improving pedal feel and brake response.

This Hemi is most definitely not shy or watered down. But what surprised us the most about the Ch

kramtrah

This is the best part and what we have all been sayin' the last two years in anticipation:

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