By 1970, the muscle car and pony car era was well under way, and even though Dodge had a fair share of the market, the late entry of the
Dodge Challenger to the performance-minded new car buyer was a welcomed one. The
1970 Challenger was marketed as a sort of street-legal race car, both in print and television advertisements, and with the arsenal of high performance engines and trim lines that marketing campaign wasn't far off the mark. While the Challenger only lasted from 1970 to 1974, it left its mark on the American automotive market, and its not uncommon today to see an original Challenger cruising the streets, displayed proudly at a car show, or tearing down a quarter mile drag strip.
The public interest over the 1970 Challenger prior to its release was very high both by Dodge fans and the rest of the performance world, but recently that interest of the entire American performance market has been rekindled, and once again it is by a Dodge Challenger, Hemi and all. While this new Dodge Challenger produces the same advertised horsepower as the original, and may have similar body lines to give it a retro look, this new Dodge muscle car is very different from the original.
A quick look at an original 1970 Challenger next to the new Challenger concept makes it crystal clear what the engineers were going by when they made the new Challenger concept. The body lines are very similar, and things like the badging on the grille, and the grille itself show hints of the original. While things do look similar, and there is no mistaking the thoughts behind the design, the new Challenger has received rounding to bolster aerodynamics. Also, where the original Challenger body was made completely of steel (or steel with a fiberglass hood in the case of the 1970 T/A), the new Challenger uses carbon fiber body panels to help lighten the load on the newly designed Hemi.
That Hemi is another aspect that is both similar and different at the same time. The engine is the same in that it is a famed Hemi engine producing 425 advertised horsepower just like the original 426 cubic inch Hemi, but this new Hemi is actually much smaller. The original Hemi was 426 cubic inches, and made (an under-rated) 425 horsepower, and at that time it was not abnormal to have a huge engine with huge horsepower, but with the growing concerns about pollution and economy, the modern performance car engine makes its power with a smaller, usually more efficient engine.
The original 426 cubic inch Hemi was around 7 liters, but this new Hemi makes the same advertised power with 6.1L (372 cubic inches). The header style exhaust manifolds, which empty into a massive true-dual three inch exhaust system exits through a set of flat polished tips, and the deafening grumble from those tips more than announce that the Challenger is not to be reckoned with, as well as giving this beast the bark to warn of the impending bite. While the original Hemi cars were often manually shifted 4-speeds, or a 3-speed automatic, this new Challenger concept comes with the Hemi hooked up to a newly designed 6-speed manual transmission.
The interior has a retro look with the slap-stick style shift console, with a pistol grip shifter, and the gauge cluster takes clues from the original Challenger. However, the interior is a working model of technology at work. While the state of the art sound system and climate control system has become the norm for a modern car, this is very unlike the accessories found in the early 70s Challengers. The concept even includes a gauge which measures your quarter mile acceleration timer, and a 0-60 timer, as well as a gauge that charts the shift point of each gear. While leather buckets were offered in the early Challengers, the high back, race inspired buckets seats add a touch of class, mixed with the support of a full racing seat for spirited romps through the twisties or tearing down the quarter mile.
The huge polished aluminum rims give passerbys a good look at the massive braking systems, featuring four piston brake calipers clamping down over huge slotted, drilled and vented brake rotors. Tucker in behind the big brake setup is another big difference from the original in the form of a four wheel independent suspension featuring coil over setup as opposed to the original which would have come with a solid rear axle with leaf springs.
This new suspension setup helps the Challenger concept to hurt the turns harder than with a solid axle, allowing the most surface area as possible under hard cornering, as well as preventing a great deal of the body roll. Over all the new Challenger concept will out brake and out handle the original simply thanks to the advancement of automotive technology.
The Challenger is back, and with the advanced suspension setup, the comfortable, plush interior, the smooth sexy body lines, and the monster 425hp Hemi, it is a sure bet that this new and improved Dodge Challenger will make just as much impact on the American automotive world as did its
namesake some 36 years ago.
For More info on the Dodge Challenger, please visit DodgeChallenger.com
