Is the Dodge Challenger headed for Europe as a Lancia?

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challenger redline.jpgThere are rumors floating around the virtual watercoolers
that the Lancia Thema – which is a rebadged version of the Chrysler 300 for the
Italian market – could soon be offered as a coupe.  The Chrysler 300 is kind of already marketed
as a coupe in the US and we all know it as the Dodge Challenger. Do these
Lancia Thema Coupe rumors indicate that the Dodge Challenger is headed to
Europe with a new name?  Chevrolet has
begun marketing the Camaro more actively in markets other than the USA so perhaps
the Chrysler Group (and Fiat SpA) could use the success of the Challenger to
spread the name around the globe.

The issue with this speculation is that the Dodge Challenger
is a muscle car with a distinct sporty design but the Lancia brand is one that
focused on luxury.  The Chrysler Group
products that are available in Italy as Lancia models include the Thema
(Chrysler 300), the Grand Voyager (Chrysler Town & Country) and the Flavia
(the Chrysler 200) – all of which are already luxury cars when they arrive in
Europe with only badging needed to help these models fit into the Lancia
lineup.  However, if the Challenger is
going to fit into the Lancia lineup, it will need a good sprucing-up
(especially with regard to the interior) to make this brawny American muscle
car into a luxury coupe.

Perhaps the Dodge Challenger will serve as a model for the
Lancia Thema Coupe but unlike the American Challenger, the Thema Coupe will
still preserve portions of the exterior design from the Chrysler 300.  Inside, making the interior more luxurious
will only be a matter of adding more leather and chrome but on the outside, the
Challenger could be a hard sell as a luxury car.  Also, would Dodge be willing to take the
honored name and design of the Challenger and convert it into a different model
for Europe?  Only time will tell.

The Dodge Challenger is 100% awesome and seeing the big
Mopar muscle car in Europe would be awesome but it seems like a bit of
blasphemy to see the Challenger turned into a luxury coupe for the Lancia
brand.  Should this Thema Coupe rumor
turn out to be true – hopefully the company will come up with an exterior
design of its own so it is more than just a rebadged Challenger.

"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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