Dodge Celebrates Challenger’s 50th Birthday at L.A. Auto Show

Dodge invited Challenger owners to show off their vehicles and meet the 50^th Anniversary Edition cars.

The Dodge Challenger was originally introduced for the 1970 model year. With the arrival of the 2020 model year, the Mopar muscle car is celebrating its 50^th birthday. FCA has chosen the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show as the location of their official 50^th birthday celebration, and they invited scores of private Challenger owners to come out with their cars. While there, the owners got to show off their classic and modern Challengers. They also got to be the first people to see the 50^th Anniversary Edition packages in person.

Dodge Challenger History

The first Dodge Challenger was offered for the 1970 through 1974 model years. The name was reincarnated in 1978 through 1983 on a compact car built for Dodge by Mitsubishi, but that version of the car doesn’t get much respect or attention in the Mopar world. However, when the modern Challenger was introduced for the 2008 model year, the Dodge community had their muscle car back.

If we count up all of the available model years in which a Dodge Challenger has been available for sale, the nameplate has been used during 24 model years. However, with 2020 marking the 50^th birthday of the first Challenger, Dodge is celebrating the golden anniversary in the upcoming model year.

Celebrating 50 Years

To properly commemorate the 50^th birthday of the Challenger at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Dodge invited private owners to bring their muscle cars to the L.A. Auto Show on the morning of Wednesday, November 20. The company’s goal was to have every form of classic and modern Challenger in attendance. The result was an amazing spread of muscle cars from the past 50 years.

From the original Hemi Shaker Convertible to the modern Hellcat, Demon and Redeye, Dodge performance and Hemi power was beautifully displayed.

Among those private owners were comedians Jeff Dunham and Tim Allen, but this early morning event wasn’t about celebrity cars. This event was about recognizing 50 years of Mopar muscle action with a look at many of those muscle cars.

50^th Anniversary Edition Package

In addition to the scores of privately owned Dodge Challengers, FCA brought out a few of their own muscle cars. This included some models from the company’s historical vehicle collection, but more importantly, Dodge introduced the special crowd to the newest Challengers.

For the 2020 model year, Dodge has rolled out the 50^th Anniversary Edition package, available on the GT, R/T Shaker, R/T Scat Pack Shaker and R/T Scat Pack Widebody Shaker. At this morning’s celebration event, the R/T Shaker and R/T Scat Pack Widebody Shaker were on display in Sinamon Stick and the package-exclusive Gold Rush.

The 50^th Anniversary Edition package on Hemi models starts with a matte black hood and a body-colored Shaker hood scoop. Unique badges in the new Gold School gold-chrome finish are part of the package. There are also illuminated headlight rings with the 50 logo inside. The roof and trunk lid are wrapped matte black to match the hood. The wheels are a similar gold to the badges. Of course, the badging on the grille and rear wing includes the “50” logo as well. For the V6-powered GT models, the badges and interior are similar to the Hemi models, but the V6 doesn’t come with the Shaker hood.

On the inside, the 50^th Anniversary Edition package adds sport seats with leather bolsters and Alcantara suede centers. The stitching on the black seats is Sepia, as is the embroidered 50 logos on the seat backs and all of the contrasting stitching throughout the cabin. The gauges have a unique white appearance and the start-up screen features the 1970 Challenger. The floor mats have the 50 logo as well.

Pricing and Production Numbers

Finally, each 50^th Anniversary Edition Dodge Challenger will have a unique badge on the passenger’s side HVAC vent. The 50^th Anniversary package is available in seven colors. Each of those colors is available on one of four trim levels. Dodge will make 70 of each color in each trim level. This results in a total of 1,960 cars with this package. The dash badge of each car will callout the sequence number out of 70 for each specific car. Exterior color options include Gold Rush, Frostbite, Sinamon Stick, Hellraisin, TorRed, F8 Green and Go Mango.

The 50^th Anniversary Edition package will go on sale when 2020 Challenger order banks open next month. For the GT models, the package costs $4,995. Hemi-powered models get an increase of $5,995 for this limited edition package.

Photos for DodgeForum by Derin Richardson

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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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