Jeremiah 29:11

I am not sure if the displacement on demand feature will be out in time for the Challenger but it would be nice if it did and it worked flawlessly.

Can you imagine getting good gas mileage in a muscle car?


Dodge reviving Challenger muscle car for '08

Concept model from January show looks a lot like '70s icon
G. Chambers Williams III, San Antonio Express-News

Sunday, July 30, 2006


The all-new Dodge Challenger "is a go!"

That's the word from Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Tom LaSorda, who recently announced plans to bring the Challenger concept to production as a 2008 model.

Making the announcement via Webcam from Daytona International Speedway, LaSorda gave longtime Challenger fans the news they had been hoping for since the concept vehicle was unveiled in January at the 2006 Detroit auto show.

Some Chrysler officials said at the time of the Detroit showing that bringing the Challenger to production was already a given. But the company waited until just before the recent Daytona Pepsi 400 NASCAR race to make the official announcement.

"We haven't seen this kind of spontaneous, passionate response to a car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989," LaSorda said during the announcement.

"But it's easy to see what people like about the Dodge Challenger. It's bold, powerful and capable. It's a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and sets a new standard for pure 'pony car' performance."

The new Challenger has the same "long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the 1970s," Chrysler said in a news release accompanying the Daytona announcement.

But that's something of an understatement. Those of us who watched the unveiling in Detroit were immediately struck by the similarities to the original Challenger -- so much similar that the new model almost looks like a restored version of the old one.

"We drew on the rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms and technologies," Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour said during the Daytona event. "It's not just a re-creation; it's a reinterpretation."

The Challenger came to market in fall 1969 as a 1970 model, using the same architecture as the Plymouth Barracuda.

But the Challenger was roomier, thanks to a 2-inch-longer wheelbase. It was discontinued after the 1974 model year, but thousands of them live on in the garages and driveways of Mopar collectors.

Chrysler notes that the Challenger was originally offered in coupe and convertible models; there was never a four-door sedan version.

Here is some history, related in the Chrysler news release:

In the first year, the Challenger was offered in a limited-edition model to meet requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing.

In 1971, a Challenger was the pace car for the Indianapolis 500.

New front-end styling was introduced for 1972, featuring a larger "egg-crate" grille.

In April 1974, production ceased. Over that five-year run, Chrysler sold about 188,600 Challengers.

Onstage at Cobo Hall for the Detroit unveiling, Chrysler Group chief designer Trevor Creed showed off the 425-horsepower Challenger concept to an enthusiastic group of automotive journalists and a few Mopar muscle-car buffs who had been invited to attend the unveiling.

"The Dodge Challenger concept propels the pony car into a new era," he said.

Chevrolet followed a day later with the introduction of its pony car, the Camaro, with a version of the 400-horsepower V8 engine found in the 2006 Corvette.

The Camaro's exterior styling, however, is decidedly less retro than that of the Challenger or even the current Mustang.

We had the opportunity to compare the old and new ones almost side by side.

As a prelude to the Camaro concept's introd