Last week I was invited to spend a day at Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds in Chelsea Michigan to check out – and drive – many of the latest and greatest vehicles from the various Chrysler Group brands. Unfortunately, the rules prevent me from talking about driving many of those awesome new 2015 vehicles, but those rules don’t prevent me from showing off the 2015 Dodge Challenger in base V6, R/T, R/T Scat Pack and SRT Hellcat form.
I should point out that I didn’t get to drive the 2015 Dodge Challenger just yet, but the Chelsea Proving Ground event allowed me my first chance to see the vast majority of the new lineup all lined up together out in the bright Michigan sun. Best of all, since the images of the 2015 Challenger are not under embargo, I can show them off here on DodgeForum for you all to enjoy!
In the gallery below there are four different 2015 Dodge Challenger models – a blue V6, a bright green R/T Shaker, a gray 392 Scat Pack Shaker and, of course, the bright red SRT Hellcat. I also got a short video of the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat idling and revving, which you can check out below with high definition sound so there is no breaking up at the high RPMs.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
