This past weekend marked the 10th stop on the
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and with it came the second win for Team Penske
and Brad Keselowski in his #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger.Keselowski started in the 13th
position and worked his way to the front of the field during the high speed
race around the 2.66 oval track.
Late in
the race, a caution flag led to a green-white-checked system that saw
Keselowski pushed past then-leader Matt Kenseth by Toyota driver Kyle Busch on
the second to last lap.Then, during the
last lap of the race, Keselowski was able to out-muscle the Toyota Camry car of
Busch to preserve the win.Teammate AJ
Allmendinger, who started on the outside of row 1 - finished 15th.
Each summer, Chrysler Group plants around North American
take a couple weeks off so that they can re-tool the facilities for the
upcoming model year while also allowing the dealerships to sell off existing
models sitting on lots but due to strong sales through the first four months of
2012 - several Chrysler Group plants will stay open through their scheduled
downtime.
First and foremost, the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in
Detroit and the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois will both completely skip
their scheduled two week summer downtime.Jefferson North builds the Dodge Durango and the Jeep Grand Cherokee
while Belvidere currently builds the awesome new Dodge Dart alongside the Jeep
Compass and Jeep Patriot.The strong
sales of the Durango, Grand Cherokee, Patriot and Compass require these two
plants to stay open all summer - bolstered by the start of production of the
new Dart.Also, the Toluca Car Assembly
Plant in Mexico will skip their summer downtime.Toluca produces the Dodge Journey (and the
Fiat Freemont) along with the compact Fiat 500.
It has been an up and down season for NASCAR Dodge fans and
this past weekend in Texas is one that most Mopar lovers would likely forget.Between the two races in Texas this past
weekend with the Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Saturday and the
Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 on Sunday, there were 86 total cars qualified but
just four of them were Dodge products.
In Saturday's O'Reilly Auto Parts 300, Brad Keselowski and Sam
Hornish Jr were the only two drivers piloting Dodge Challengers and with
starting positions of 12th and 14th the teammates were
poised for another day of front running.Things went fairly well for Sam Hornish Jr as he rolled into an 11th
place finish in his #12 Wurth Challenger but for Keselowski, early engine
troubles dashed his hopes of winning and he was forced to finish 35th
- 41 laps off of the pace.Hornish now
sits in 4th place in the Nationwide season standings.
It has been an up-and-down 2012 NASCAR season for Team Dodge
with the week #5 stop in Fontana California being another "down".Between Saturday's Nationwide Series Royal
Purple 300 and Sunday's rain shortened Sprint Cup Auto Club 400, there were 86 entries
qualified for the two races but just 5 Dodge racers were able to start to the
two races this weekend.One could point
out that Dodge takes a "quality over quantity" position but with the best
finishing position being a pretty solid 3rd in the Royal Purple 300
and a very mediocre 15th in the Auto Club 400.
The Chrysler Group recently debuted the 2012 Dodge
Challenger Rallye Redline - a sportier version of the entry level muscle car
centered around the 3.6L Pentastar V6.Unfortunately, there Rallye Redline doesn't add any additional power but
the standard 305 horsepower and 268lb-ft of torque offer great acceleration
while the handling of the brawny Mopar muscle car is enhanced through a variety
of new features.
The 2012 Challenger Rallye Redline begins by adding the Super
Sport Group as standard equipment.This
includes a performance tuned suspension package featuring 42% firmer front
shocks and 22% stiffer shocks in the rear, a 30mm front sway bar and 20mm rear
sway bar (replacing the standard 27mm front and 16mm rear units), a performance
tuned steering calibration that is 25% more responsive and 20x8 inch black
chrome wheels wrapped in Firestone Firehawk 245/45/20 all season performance tires.The Super Sport Group package has been
available on previous V6 Challenger models with an MSRP of $1,500 and having
had a test car with this package - it is well worth the cost.Even better, it is included in the Rallye
Redline for no additional cost.
Further proof, that given enough time and money, everything can be converted into a limousine. And actually, for once, the end result doesn't look like a disaster! The Charger is already a car with an exceptionally long wheelbase, so stretching it out doesn't slaughter the styling like it does on the Viper. It still looks weird, yeah, but it's not completely ruined.
One of the early complaints with the 2008 Dodge Challenger
SRT8 was that it only came with a sloppy 5-speed automatic transmission with
the mighty 6.1L Hemi V8 but they fixed that problem with the introduction of
the 2009 model year Challenger SRT8.Chrysler also included a 6-speed manual transmission option for those
Challenger buyers who opted for the R/T models fitted with the 5.7L Hemi but
the V6 models were only available with a 4-speed automatic transmission mated
to the balmy 3.5L base engine - leading many to question just how much claim
the V6 Challenger has to boast of being a muscle car.
Week #4 for the 2012 NASCAR season brought the Nationwide
and Sprint Cup Series racers to the fastest half mile oval in the world in
Bristol Tennessee.Team Dodge used this
high speed short track to their advantage - with Brad Keselowski finishing 3rd
in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday and bringing home the win in the
Sunday Sprint Cup race.
Saturday's Ford EcoBoost 300 at Bristol was less than kind to its sponsor, with Ford's Ricky Steinhouse finishing in 6th. Brad
Keselowski in his #22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger started 7th and
ran strong all day, finishing 3rd behind a pair of Chevys driven by
Kasey Kahne and Elliot Sadler.Sam
Hornish Jr drove his #12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger to a 13th
place finish (started 23rd) while the only other Dodge in the field,
the #81 car driven by rookie Jason Bowles finished 25th after
starting in the 34th position.Hornish Jr. still sits in 6th place in Nationwide Series
season standings (49 points behind leader Elliot Sadler) while Jason Bowles
moved up three spots to the 19th position, sitting 114 points off of
the leading pace.Brad Keselowski is not
involved in the championship standings for the Nationwide Series.
For the last 8 years, Sam Hubinette has been piloting high
performance Dodge and SRT vehicles including the Viper, Charger
and Challenger in various drift circuits around the world. But last
week, "The Crazy Swede" announced his retirement ahead of the 2012 Formula Drift
season.Hubinette retires with two
Formula Drift championships and 9 event wins - making him the winningest driver
in Formula D's history.
The cause for Sam Hubinette's decision to leave the drifting
world where he has done so well is that two of his team's major sponsors "changing
interest".There is no detail beyond
that, but we have to wonder if one of those major sponsors is Dodge/Mopar. Over the past few years there has been no name more prominently advertised by
The Crazy Swede on and off the track. Due to drifting's lack of popularity in the US, it wouldn't come as a huge shock if the Chrysler Group found their
support of the drift program to be non-beneficial to the company.
One aspect of the 2012 model year vehicles from the Dodge
brand was that the stupid trimlines introduced for the 2011 model year were
almost completely eliminated.While the
Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger stuck to the more traditional trimlines like
SE, SXT, R/T and SRT (plus the Rallye trimline here and there), the Avenger,
Caliber, Durango, Journey and Grand Caravan went away from the familiar
trimlines to make room for "jazzy" new trimlines names.
The third stop on the 2012 NASCAR tour brought the teams to
Las Vegas Motor Speedway and as was the case in Daytona, the majority of the
Dodge drivers would rather forget about the trip to Sin City.Chevrolet driver Tony Stewart won the race
while two other Chevys and two Fords made up the rest of the top 5.The highest finishing Dodge Charger was Brad
Keselowski's #2 Miller Lite car - he finished 32nd.There was plenty of good news for Dodge fans
before the racing began with the introduction of the great looking 2013 Sprint
Cup Dodge Charger but on the track, things were much less exciting.
Brad Keselowski and teammate AJ Allmendinger both had strong
cars early in the race but problems began on lap 149 when Allmendinger ran into
fuel pressure problems.AJ brought the
#22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger into the garage area to attempt to repair the
fuel delivery problems but it would take several trips to fix the progressing
fuel system issues.The result was a
disappointing 37th place finish, 30 laps down after his decent start
in 14th place.
There is a contest running right now on eBay that will award 100 people a $50 eBay gift card and one lucky person will end up driving a brand new 2012 Dodge Challenger R/T. All you have to do in order to enter the contest is log in to your eBay account and create a vehicle in their new "My Vehicles" feature.
The contest is incredibly easy, as all you have to do to get yourself a chance at the 2012 Challenger R/T is visit eBay and add a vehicle to the My Vehicles section. Creating a vehicle entry is very easy, as all you have to do is pick from a handful of dropdown menus, give your vehicle an identifying nickname and say a bit about your vehicle. Once you have done that, you have earned yourself an entry in the contest. From there, each additional vehicle you add gives you another entry into the contest (limit 5 per eBay account) and better yet - you can earn more entries by sharing the My Vehicle pages with your friends.
Even though Brad Keselowski ran towards the front during the
majority of the 2012 Daytona 500, a late race wreck knocked him back to 32nd
place, and the other two Dodge Chargers in the big race finished behind
him.It was a disappointing Daytona 500
for Team Dodge, but things would go much better for the Dodge drivers in Phoenix--both in Saturday's Nationwide Series race and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.
OK, I realize this is Dodge Forum. But SEMA is a celebration of all things automotive, and I figured this crowd would appreciate seeing some killer cars that didn't happen to be made by Ma Mopar.
Obviously, the people who shot this didn't drink the drift video Kool-Aid. Because if they had, they'd know that all Formula D videos are required to feature acres of slow-motion footage and a horrible techno music score.
But this video isn't like that! It's done with high-speed film, and it's set to the "William Tell Overture!" It's world's better. And while Samuel Hubinette didn't pilot his Challenger to a championship, it's still a hell of a lot of fun to watch him try.
Were you sick of all the slo-mo action too? What do you think of this video? Head over to the Forum and sound off!
The Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 has carried the SRT name on its own while the company worked on the new SRT variants of the Charger, Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee. And after gallantly carrying such a load, Chrysler has announced some new additions for 2012 that will make a great muscle car even better.
The introduction of the 2012 Dodge Challenger should come in the next few months and with two new engines for the 2011 model year, what can we expect for 2012? Dodge hasn't had much to say about the new model year Challenger and while sales have been fairly consistent for the brawny American muscle car, things could certainly be better with respect to the numbers of Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang units sold each month.
The modern Dodge Challenger received upgrades for 2011 to make it one of the most powerful vehicles available in the US market, but in 1970, the Dodge Challenger Hemi R/T set the standard for high performance.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger looks very similar to the outgoing models but the big news is what you cannot see - with two new engines joining the Challenger lineup, which add more power and better fuel economy to the brawny muscle car.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published a piece stating that
the well-known Hemi is being demoted, in favor of "greener" engines.
This seemed odd to me, considering how fuel efficient the MDS-equipped
Hemi has proven itself to be in the Dodge Charger, Challenger and Ram
trucks and as other media sources picked up the story, the rumors got
deep. This is made that much more unlikely to me by the fact that many
engine rumors for upcoming Chrysler vehicles center around new (often
bigger) Hemi engines.
Some sources state that the Hemi will be dropped from the Chrysler
and Jeep lineup and that the Hemi would only remain in the Dodge and Ram
brand vehicles but rather than make assumptions, I contacted Chrysler
for more information on the future of the Hemi. Earlier today, I spoke
with Nick Cappa, a representative for Chrysler's Brand Newsroom, who had
this to say about the Hemi:
"The HEMI V8 is still
very much part of our future powertrain strategy and we're continually
improving its fuel economy. Badging is something that changes over time
and has little or nothing to do with powertrain system or its use in
future products. The HEMI name will remain with any vehicle the engine
is associated with. The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a HEMI 5.7-liter V8
available but no badge on the exterior. HEMI is still on the engine
cover, in the press kit, in the owner's manual and in the hearts of
anyone who can appreciate the power and torque it delivers"
When Dodge announced that they would offer 100 heavily modified 2009
Dodge Challengers with the Drag Pak option for the NHRA Stock, Super
Stock and Comp Eliminator classes, racers lineup up to grab one of
these factory built race cars. This morning, Dodge announced that the
success of the 2009 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak models has lead them to
offer the similar package for 2010.
The 2010 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak begins with a Challenger SRT8 with
the 6.1L Hemi mated to a 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual
transmission. Then, about 1000 pounds of fat is trimmed away as things
like Viper-style front seats, Lexan side windows, a lightweight cooling
system, a manual steering assembly, lightweight front braking
components, an ultra-light lift off hood and a cable-operated throttle
linkage/ pedal assembly (no "drive by wire") are added in place of the
standard items.
I have an appreciation for all sorts of cars, but deep down I'm a
Mopar man. I've owned Fords and Chevys, but my favorite cars have been
my 1983 Dodge Mirada 340 and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340, and when I get to
events like SEMA I'm always very excited to see what Mopar has in store
for me.
This year, I have to admit that the indoor Mopar display was a little bare, although cars like the Challenger 1320 (click here for more info) and the new Dodge Avenger pro stock car (more info coming soon!) made the display worth the time.
But
there was still Mopar Alley. The area connecting the Central Hall and
South Hall runs you through a parking lot and atop a busy overpass, but
for years now Mopar has bridged the gap with a variety of new and
vintage Mopars - both privately owned and featured vehicles owned by
Chrysler Corporation.
While a great many of the vehicles brought to SEMA by the guys at
Mopar are often outrageous and unlikely to ever see the street, this
year's Dodge Challenger 1320 was not such a car.
The
color might be a little much for some people, but the modifications
made to this relatively calm looking Challenger shows the potential of
the pony car, with a little help from a Mopar 426 cubic inch crate
motor.
The engine designation is spread across the corner of the
hood, with a subtle suggestion of this car's attitude in the
black-on-black hood trim.
Speedfactory has become well known for their high performance late model Mopars, and at the 2008 SEMA Show the Vortech display featured a blown 6.1L Speedfactory Challenger. Earlier this week, news surfaced about the debut of a new, more powerful Speedfactory '440 Hemi' Challenger.
That's right - 440 cubic inches of SRT-Hemi muscle, and with the help of a Vortech centrifugal supercharger this nasty Challenger makes 700 horsepower on 91 octane gasoline. This 440 is created by taking a 6.1L Hemi, boring and stroking it to 7.2L, and adding a fully forged rotating assembly. A set of worked Mopar Performance cylinder heads helps move all of the forced air needed for the 440 Hemi.
This is announced as the debut of the car, but I thought that I recognized it, so I checked with the guys at Speedfactory. Yesterday evening, Speedfactory contacted me and confirmed that I have indeed seen this Challenger before, and based on my first sighting of it...it is one great looking Challenger. This will be the debut of the 440 Hemi Challenger in this form, although this car has been displayed before. In August of 2009, this Speedfactory Challenger was displayed alongside a wicked 10 second Speedfactory Charger at the Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio.
The 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is only 18 days away, and today the
Mopar camp offered their first teasers of what to expect in their
display. Not surprisingly, the first four announced vehicles for the
SEMA Show include a Dodge Ram and a Dodge Challenger, along with a pair
of wild Jeep concepts.
The two Jeeps to be featured at
the Mopar SEMA Show display, the Jeep Wrangler Overland and Jeep Lower
Forty are both based on the popular Wrangler. The Mopar Dodge Ram
Bianco is based on a production Dodge Ram 1500 Sport, and the Mopar
Dodge Challenger 1320 (the first of many Challengers I expect to see at
SEMA) is actually based on the Dodge Challenger Track Pak rather than a
production model.
The most exciting (to me) concept of the 2009 SEMA Show Mopar
display to be announced so far is the Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320. The
base vehicle of this concept was not a production vehicle, but rather
the track-only Dodge Challenger Track Pak and in the artist's rendering
the Challenger 1320 shows off a yellow (they call is Acidic Hue) and
flat black scheme. A large hood scoop, widened police style wheels
wrapped in Nitto drag radials, and special graphics help to define the
exterior but the real news about the Dodge Challenger 1320 is the
drivetrain. Mopar began with an all-aluminum 426 cubic inch Hemi crate
motor decorated with Mopar valve covers.
The new Dodge Challenger looks incredible. We all want one, but don't want to get ripped off at the dealership. That's why the experts at Autos.com put this detailed buyer's guide together. If you've been thinking about getting a new Challenger, it's definitely worth a read. Doing so could save you enough cash for a set of aftermarket wheels and tires. Getting the Best Price on a Dodge Challenger
The 2010 Dodge Challenger looks to build off of the success of the first two years of the model and, while there is no official word on the addition of a larger engine, the Challenger will receive a handful of minor additions for 2010.
The 2008 Dodge Challenger is offered in one trim
line, the well-known SRT8 designation. There were 4 choices for the
lucky people who reserved a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 before it was
released. The first dealt with color, either Hemi Orange Pearl Coat,
Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat, or Bright Silver Metallic Pearl
Coat. The second choice was whether to stick with the basic 6-disc
AM/FM/MP3 stereo system or to select the $890 MyGig Multimedia system
complete with GPS navigation. The third option was whether or not you
wanted a sunroof at an additional $950. And the final decision was
simple: stock or performance tires. The base tire of the SRT8 is a set
of four 245/45ZR20 all-season Goodyear radials. For fifty dollars more,
a buyer could select a set of performance Goodyears with the same 245
size tires up front and 255/45ZR20's in the rear.
The Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang are two of a handful of American
performance cars that have secured their place in automotive history
books. They both contributed to building the young performance market
in 50's and 60's America, and then passed the test of time. The Pontiac
Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Thunderbird, and Dodge Charger can
also be counted amongst the most powerful cars of their day, though
presently the Firebird is no longer produced and the Charger is offered
as a performance sedan. Ford Muscle returned to classic styling with
the release of the S197 2005 Mustang, a mega success. Around the same
time, rumors of another vintage muscle car returning began to grow;
this time for the Dodge Challenger.
Like an indomitable storm, the Formula Drift Series descended upon the streets of downtown Long Beach this past weekend for round 1 of the 2009 season, bringing with it the thunder of Team Mopar's tire-destroying Dodge Viper SRT10 drift car to a crowd of more than 40,000 fans. Also making an appearance was the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 drift car, giving fans a preview of things to come later in the season. Now entering its 5th season, the Formula Drift Series has grown exponentially in just a short period of time and has been a key player in exposing drifting to the U.S.
When the Dodge
Challenger returned in 2008, it was certainly a welcome surprise for all
of us.
For its second production year, the 2009 Challenger's model lineup is expanded
to three models, including the SE, R/T and SRT8 trim levels. The big news for
enthusiasts who like the looks of the new Challenger but don't need all the
power is the Challenger SE. With its 3.5-liter V6, the SE gets you 250
horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. While that's not exactly V8 territory, it's
enough to move you around town with a smile on your face.
Since the Challenger was introduced at the North American International Auto Show In Detroit, enthusiasts have hoped and prayed for a convertible version. Drawings and edited pictures of droptop Challengers surfaced along the way, but nothing official has come from Ma Mopar, even though those "someone from Chrysler told me" rumors have kept the rumormill churning. However, Coach Builders Ltd. has come to the rescue with their own Challenger convertible, and their model shown at SEMA 2008 was dressed to the nines for the event.
Hurst Performance has made a name for itself by offering their quality performance shifters, and in their long and prestigious history, they have even dabbled in special edition trimlines, such as the Chrysler 300 Hurst and the Hurst Oldsmobiles. The 2008 SEMA Show revealed to the world the newest installation in the Hurst legacy with the 2009 Hurst/Hemi Challenger, which is offered in four different "Series" options, with varying levels of modifications and performance. The display car at the SEMA Show was the first unit of the Series 4 package, which is based on a Challenger SRT-8, packed with a 6.1L Hemi, and in this case, an automatic transmission.
The new Dodge Challenger has allowed Dodge enthusiasts a
chance to buy a new "muscle car", with the definition of rear wheel drive,
front engine, V8s.However, models like
the Charger SRT-8 and Dodge Viper SRT-10 have filled the gap in Dodge
performance, although in other segments, and both have proven to be very
successful.
In speaking with a handful of performance enthusiasts (both
Dodge, other domestic, and import enthusiasts), I found that the following
models were the most commonly mentioned in the question of "what is the best
Dodge muscle car of all time?There is
no right answer, so here are the 8 models that were mentioned when I was asking
people the same question, so I present to DodgeForum a tail of the tape for
each of the following 8 cars for your consideration in what you would pick as
the greatest Dodge muscle car.
Even after the announcement that Dodge would not be building
a drop-top version of the awesome new Challenger, rumors travel about the
future possibilities of their vert prayers being answered.Still, Dodge has no official plans, but fear
not, as Coach Builders Ltd. of High
Springs, Florida has
you covered with the SEMA debut of their 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Convertible
conversion.Coach Builders is not new to
the market, as they have previously offered convertible conversions for the
Chrysler 300, as well as the Cadillac CTS and DTS.
This past weekend marked the 10th stop on the
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and with it came the second win for Team Penske
and Brad Keselowski in his #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. Keselowski started in the 13th
position and worked his way to the front of the field during the high speed
race around the 2.66 oval track. 
by Patrick Rall
