AutoWeek Breaks Challenger SRT-8 Embargo. And?
January 25th, 2008 9:22 AM
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"We're showing you this car earlier than Dodge wants us to because similar images are on the Web, and we don't think you should have to wait." Translation: please don't punish us Chrysler! Someone else broke the press embargo. Oh, and we LOVE you dear reader. Puh-lease. Anyway, Autoweek has broken the Challenger SRT-8's embargo cherry, revealing hi-res pics that show us The Doge Boys' plain Jane four-wheeled freight train. I'm sorry (if only because the muscle car fanboys are likely to descend on this post like a plague of big bore locusts), but I'm done with the whole retro-mod muscle car thing– and not because of concerns for our planet's health and well-being. I reckon if you morph the Charger, the Challenger and the [now you don't] Camaro, you'd end-up with a car that looks a lot like the Charger, Challenger and Camaro. Or the next Mustang. And don't get me started about back seats. While I LOVE big, gas-gargling V8s, can we move on here please? The Chrysler 300 proved that Detroit knows how to do the next gen bad-ass car thing. Gentlemen, it's time to move forward.
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For 2009 the Challenger range will extend beyond the SRT8. The R/T will offer the revised 380HP HEMI and the base Challenger will offer the 3.5L V6. Both engines will have a choice of automatic or six-speed manual transmissions (with pistol-grip shifter!). Some special editions are planned and you can expect to see the return of Mopar's famous 60s colors we saw on the Charger Daytona like Top Banana, GoManGo, Sublime, Plum Crazy and maybe even Panther Pink.
TriShield, you are correct. And the 5.7L Auto will come with MDS, which should put highway mileage in the mid 20's. 25 MPG and 380HP? Awesome.
I think it looks great although I'll agree with a previous poster that, based on the same platform as the 300, it surely is too damn big. Nostalgia has a short shelf-life, however, so Chrysler better make some serious hay while the sun is shining.
Right on Robert! Those who support these simple-minded retromobiles are encouraging the product degradation of the big 2.8 in the same way that the white leather loafer set motivated the decrepitization of Cadillac in the 80s and 90s. Chrysler has already admitted that the Hemi name rings hollow to the present generation of sports car buyers, and they know that there is a real risk of Challenger sales collapsing after the first year's run. Meanwhile, there exists an entirely unserved demographic of enthusiasts who are startled awake in sweaty fits in the middle of the night by the nightmarish prospect of never owning an efficient, versatile RWD funmobile. Honestly, which vision represents a stronger outlook on the future for a manufacturer? Even 30-40 years ago muscle cars were the poster children for Big 3 navel-gazing. And we want to revisit that!?! With all due respect to the nostalgic amongst us, it is worth remembering that "you can never go home again".