CTEK Brings a Viper-Powered ’68 Charger to SEMA

This incredible 1968 Dodge Charger RTR packs a twin-turbocharged V10 from the Viper and an intense sound system.

The 1968 Dodge Charger shown here is being shown at the 2017 SEMA Show by CTEK, a Swedish company that makes some of the most advanced automotive battery chargers. To showcase their newest chargers, the company turned to Swedish customizer Johan Eriksson, who has created this Dodge Charger.

Do you see what they did there? A company that makes high tech chargers has showcasing their products with a high tech Charger – and this car is a real beauty.

Johan Eriksson’s 1968 Dodge Charger

The stunning 1968 Dodge Charger shown here was done by Swedish customizer Johan Eriksson and he calls his Mopar muscle car the RTR, which stands for Road, Track and Racing. This project took Eriksson more than four and a half years and more than 10,000 man-hours, but the resulting machine is nothing short of incredible. While the car maintains its original proportions, pretty much every aspect of this vehicle has been widened or lengthened, so while it looks like a 1968 Charger, it is bigger than the original in every way.

Performance Upgrades

Under the hood of this 1968 Dodge Charger RTR is a V10 engine from a 2007 Dodge Viper, but this is not a stock engine by any means. Eriksson added a forged bottom end, a new camshaft and, most importantly, a pair of Borg Warner ESR turbochargers. When all said and done, this ’68 Charger produces about 1,500 horsepower. All of that power is sent through the 6-speed Tremec manual transmission and a custom rear differential to the massive 24-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires.

Next, Johan Eriksson added an AirRex digital air suspension setup, 8-piston front brakes from a Bentley Continental GT, 6-piston rear brakes from a C6 Corvette ZR1 and the awe-inspiring paint job to complete the exterior of his 1968 Dodge Charger.

Interior Upgrades

On the inside, Eriksson added an elaborate custom look with four leather-wrapped bucket seats, an aluminum transmission tunnel, a leather-wrapped roll cage, a full custom dashboard with unique gauges and all sorts of aluminum trim throughout the cabin.

Finally, this 1968 Dodge Charger has a gigantic sound system, which is where the CTEK battery charging system comes into play. I am not a sound system guy, so I won’t pretend to know what is going on with his electronics, but below is a list of components in Eriksson’s audio system.

Pioneer DEX-P99RS head unit
Nine PRS-D800 power amps in trunk
SPC5010 capacitor
Two TS-C132PRS 5.25” speakers in the dashboard
Two TS-C272PRS 6.5” speakers in the doors
Two TS-SW2502S4 speakers in the kick panels
Two TS-C232PRS 5,25” speakers and three TS-SW2502S4 subwoofers behind back seats
Two TS-C232PRS 5.25” kits in the trunk
Four AGM batteries
Four CTEK MXS 25EC chargers/maintainers

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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