Muscle cars are as politically correct as Bernard Manning in a Nazi uniform these days, but that hasn't stopped America's big three makers reincarnating the genre. Neither has it stymied the buzz of excitement surrounding the rebirth of classic names that, until recently, seemed dead and buried.

Ford was first with its latest Mustang, the success of which was sufficient to spur Chevrolet into producing a remake of the Camaro. Chrysler's Dodge Challenger has now made it a threesome.

Like the other two, the Challenger apes the shape of its classic forefather; it's big and brash enough to make a Porsche Boxster seem positively puny; and even pictures of it will prompt tree huggers to knit letters of protest. So it should tick all the right boxes for most car enthusiasts.

What Dodge's designers tried to do was recreate everyone's memory of the original Challenger. They kept the hooded headlights, long bonnet (complete with vents) and what they call the character line that runs from stem to stern, which we all remember so fondly. Thankfully, they've binned the overbodied look of the original with that beaky nose that most of us have forgotten about...

The result is a handsome car that's also rather imposing, but that's simply because of its sheer size. The Challenger is based on the same running gear as Chrysler's 300C and is only four inches shorter than its sister saloon. So although Chrysler bosses say there are currently no plans to make a right-hand drive version, it'll be mighty easy for them to change their corporate mind.

Sadly, a pricing tweak will reflect that move. Currently the top SRT8 model sells in the US at around £20,000 - for a 6.1-litre V8! Drivers with more of a conscience can plump for a 5.7-litre R/T or the 'fuel efficient' 3.5 SE. But whichever model they go for it's safe to say that this car won't be bought by people worried about the price of petrol.