Roughly three years ago, the Chrysler’s Mopar division teamed up with Magneti Marelli to create the Dodge Avenger Rally Car Concept. This modified version of the normal production Avenger never went any further than the concept/test car shown in action in the video below but this front wheel drive Avenger was the first indication that Dodge would be going rally racing. In short, this Avenger Rally Car Concept paved the way for the Dodge Dart RallyCross race car that experienced a very short stint of racing success over the past two years.
The video doesn’t show a whole lot of rally racing action with this Dodge Avenger but we do get a couple quick clips of the Avenger rally hooning it up at one of the Chrysler Group testing facilities. The video also features interviews with Mopar’s Pietro Gorlier and SRT’s Ralph Gilles – both of whom spend some time talking about the Avenger Rally Car Concept and why they opted to base this early rally concept on the Avenge. This concept racer gave Mopar a chance to show off some of the available performance goodies for the Dodge Avenger and the 3.6L Pentastar V6 but more importantly, this reminds us that the Chrysler Group is always working on the next big performance option for owners of all shapes and sizes.
"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.
