What Is It?
Dodge Challenger Concept
What's Special About It?
"If I had had more time I would have worked a little bit more on the details," says Michael Castiglione, designer of the Dodge Challenger Concept's exterior. "I would have come up with a modern hood pin, revisited the oversized chrome gas cap which was so cool on the 1970 Challenger, and maybe worked a little on the door handles."
Mike. Babe. Don't touch a thing. It's perfect. OK, maybe the gas cap would be cool. Do it up for the production version.
That's right, the production version. Although Dodge hasn't confirmed it will build the Challenger, rumors the car will hit dealers in 2008 just won't go away. And you can't blame the rumor mill, the Mustang is hotter than jalapenos and Dodge built the Challenger Concept on the same rear-wheel-drive platform found under the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300. It even has a production 6.1-liter V8 Hemi V8 under the hood. Yeah, the same 425-horsepower version you get in a Dodge Charger SRT-8 and it's backed by a six-speed manual transmission.
Dodge says the combination is good for 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, a quarter-mile run in 13 seconds flat, and a top speed of 174 mph.
Although the Challenger is 2.3 inches shorter than a four-door Charger, it's a full 4 inches wider. It's also 1.2 inches lower and sits on a 4-inch shorter wheelbase. It all rides on massive five-spoke wheels and oversized tires that are literally squeezed up under the carbon-fiber body. The wheels, which measure 20-by-9 inches in the front and 21-by-10 inches in the rear, are wrapped in 255/40R20 front and 265/45R21 specially made Goodyear tires.
The coolest part, however, is how Castiglione managed to reverse the basic proportions of the 1970 Challenger to better reflect DaimlerChrysler's modern design language of a thicker body with a shrunken greenhouse. How he did that while still making it look like the old car, we'll never know; but the result is a very modern-looking coupe that perfectly fits in with Dodge's present model lineup.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Mom Mopar would be proud. Build it. Build it. Build it. Just shut up and build it. And give Castiglione a raise. — Scott Oldham
Dodge Challenger Concept
What's Special About It?
"If I had had more time I would have worked a little bit more on the details," says Michael Castiglione, designer of the Dodge Challenger Concept's exterior. "I would have come up with a modern hood pin, revisited the oversized chrome gas cap which was so cool on the 1970 Challenger, and maybe worked a little on the door handles."
Mike. Babe. Don't touch a thing. It's perfect. OK, maybe the gas cap would be cool. Do it up for the production version.
That's right, the production version. Although Dodge hasn't confirmed it will build the Challenger, rumors the car will hit dealers in 2008 just won't go away. And you can't blame the rumor mill, the Mustang is hotter than jalapenos and Dodge built the Challenger Concept on the same rear-wheel-drive platform found under the Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300. It even has a production 6.1-liter V8 Hemi V8 under the hood. Yeah, the same 425-horsepower version you get in a Dodge Charger SRT-8 and it's backed by a six-speed manual transmission.
Dodge says the combination is good for 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds, a quarter-mile run in 13 seconds flat, and a top speed of 174 mph.
Although the Challenger is 2.3 inches shorter than a four-door Charger, it's a full 4 inches wider. It's also 1.2 inches lower and sits on a 4-inch shorter wheelbase. It all rides on massive five-spoke wheels and oversized tires that are literally squeezed up under the carbon-fiber body. The wheels, which measure 20-by-9 inches in the front and 21-by-10 inches in the rear, are wrapped in 255/40R20 front and 265/45R21 specially made Goodyear tires.
The coolest part, however, is how Castiglione managed to reverse the basic proportions of the 1970 Challenger to better reflect DaimlerChrysler's modern design language of a thicker body with a shrunken greenhouse. How he did that while still making it look like the old car, we'll never know; but the result is a very modern-looking coupe that perfectly fits in with Dodge's present model lineup.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Mom Mopar would be proud. Build it. Build it. Build it. Just shut up and build it. And give Castiglione a raise. — Scott Oldham
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