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Popular Mechanics Excellence Awards...

...The Challenger gets the Design Award for 2009:

Dodge ChallengerDESIGNBase Price: $21,995

Decades before paddle shifters and traction control, muscle cars like the 1970 Dodge Challenger brought raw V8 power to the masses. And then—poof—they disappeared. Thirty-four years later, the Challenger is back. Traditional ponycar fans—the ones who could very well once have owned, or who still own, original Challengers from the 1970s—are smitten. So are we. Of course, the Challenger has the muscle to back up the design with a choice of the 6.1-liter 425-hp Hemi V8 or the "small" 5.7-liter 372-hp Hemi. There's even a six-cylinder SE model that can hit 25 mpg on the highway. The Challenger stays unapologetically true to both its roots and to the concept penned by Chrysler designer Michael Castiglione. To pull off a clean, modern interpretation and to make enough room for four 2008-size passengers, the Challenger had to grow wider and longer. And there had to be room for modern 20-in. rubber, too. But to look right, Dodge had to incorporate details from the original. Here's where the Challenger really 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.