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[quote]The Dodge Challenger SRT8: A blast from the past

11:04 AM PDT on Thursday, May 1, 2008

By TOM VOELK / Special to KING 5 News


Video: The Dodge Challenger SRT8: A blast from the past
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Different vehicles have different missions. Minivans are for family hauling, pickups get chores done and luxury cars are of course to prove to the world that you have more money than anyone else (especially if you own a fleet). The Dodge Challenger SRT8? It could be a dandy tire-shredder or a fine G-force simulator for the Air Force. Perhaps its best use though is as a time machine. This modern day muscle car will instantly transport you to the early 70s when gas was cheap and America was unaware of the disco menace that would descend upon it.
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Allow me to reminisce. As a grade school kid I would fill up notebooks with sketches of Mustangs, Camaros, Oldsmobile 442s and yes - Challengers - when I should have been paying attention to my grammar lessons. Starting in 1970 Dodge sold a total of 188,600 Challengers in a five-year stretch. Horsepower peaked early on at 425. The gas shortages put an end to the muscle car wars and the Challenger name was slapped on a Mitsubishi product that squeaked out as little as 77 horsepower. Oh how the mighty had fallen. The 2008 Challenger has nearly six times that power.

To the folks who bought this car but haven't taken delivery, let me assure you that your money has been well spent. Challenger looks great, sounds great, goes fast, corners hard and stops securely. It’s proof you can buy rock star grade popularity too.

One glance at today's Challenger instantly yanks me back to Mrs. McCabe's classroom at Rockridge Elementary. In the minds eye it's identical to the early 70s version, though in reality a little chunkier. Still, it's a terrific design. Perfect really. Lead designer Jeff Gale and his crew did an outstanding job of molding a new body over a shortened LX chassis, the same one 300 and Charger ride on. Challenger gets the same reaction as a Led Zeppelin reunion. Crowds and cameras gather whenever the Challenger stops. Thirty-five years later, you have to respect just how timeless the original Challenger's lines were.

TOM VOELK

Certain to attract performance junkies and repel Prius owners, Challenger is both a car and a time machine.

All 2008 Challengers are SRT8s. That means the engine is a 6.1 Hemi V8 that pumps out 425 horse power and 420 pound feet of torque. The transmission is a 5-speed automatic with Auto Stick manual shift feature. The rear wheels deliver this performance to the pavement if there was any doubt. Dodge claims a 0-60 time of just under 5 seconds, I’ll buy that. You can shred a set of tires in an afternoon if you'd like. Click on the streaming video for a display of this power but remember, always drive responsibly. '09 cars will have the option of a 6-speed manual and limited-slip differential.

Often times powerful cars are jumpy and high strung. Challenger is pleasantly docile in normal everyday driving. While the ride quality is firm as expected, this Dodge is refined and supple enough to take on a long road trip and not feel beaten up. The old Challenger was not all that happy to be thrown into a corner at speed, the '08 version says bring it on. Bend into the twisties and the chassis remains flat with the steering wheel providing nice feedback and just the right amount of heft. Well done.

To really appreciate any SRT product a driver needs a race track. Well, what do you know, Dodge has brought us out to Willow Springs. This track has some tricky corners and elevation built into t

 

I love that line. Thanks for posting it DSkippy.