This weekend, Dodge officially unveiled two Challenger Drag Race Package cars that made their inaugural runs down the 1/4 mile track in front of thousands of race fans at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals near Denver, CO. Based on the standard Challenger SRT8, each of the Drag Race Package cars features a completely stripped body that has the body sealer, sound deadener, and undercoat all removed. Additional components are also left out including the windshield wipers, HVAC system, air bags, rear seats, power steering, exhaust system, side-impact beams, rear bumper beam, and more. Further weight is saved by using composite and poycarbonate components, and overall a total of 1000 pounds has been shaved off the car.
Additional changes include repositioning the engine for a better driveline angle, a slightly shortened wheelbase, a bolt-in crossmember, and solid engine mounts. Engine options include the 6.1L and 5.7L HEMI or the 5.9L Magnum Wedge. Mopar will build at least 100 of the cars to meet NHRA requirement, and they will be eligible to run in Comp, Super Stock, and Stock categories. Pricing will start in the low $30,000 range, and Mopar will begin taking orders in late August or September.
With a name like Challenger, Dodge's new muscle car had better put down some serious quarter-mile times or else be able to propel itself into outer space. Fortunately, Chrysler's performance parts division Mopar is preparing to do one (if not the other) when it unveils its new Drag Race Package for the Challenger at the annual Mopar Mile-High Nationals at the Bandimere Speedway in Denver next week.
While specific details on the package – which we previewed in our exclusive video last week – remain scarce before the official debut, the Challenger Drag Race Package marks the 70th anniversary of Mopar and forty years since the company's last factory-built drag-race package. Based on the Challenger SRT8, the Drag Race Package features a composite "Body-in-White" direct from the factory and a host of lightweight components, to say nothing of all the parts being deleted for drag-strip use. The engine has been repositioned and the wheelbase actually shortened to optimize weight distribution and driveline angle. Designed in cooperation with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and previewed back in 2006 by the 392 HEMI Dodge Challenger Super Stock concept at SEMA (pictured above), Mopar will build 100 examples of the race-prepped Challenger with three different engine packages available.
Mopar can't let Speedfactory have all the fun supercharging the Dodge Challenger SRT-8, so when the SEMA show rolls around this November, the in-house tuners of all things pentastar will unveil a blown Challenger of their own.
The Mopar-modified SRT-8 will be fitted with all the show-going kit you'd expect at the world's largest aftermarket expo, including a cold-air intake, high-flow cat-back exhaust and a variety of wheel designs and sizes. The details of the blower are still unknown, but with Speedfactory boosting the 6.1-liter HEMI V8 from 425 to 630 hp with its Stage 2 mods, we'd suspect similar figures from the Mopar kit.
Those of you steeped in drag racing lore are undoubtedly familiar with the 1968 HEMI-powered Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas. These limited edition, track-bound '68 package cars brought out some of the biggest names in drag racing and helped solidify the automaker as a force to be reckoned with down the 1320. When Dodge unveiled the Challenger drag race package at SEMA, we knew the Mopar crew had something serious up its sleeves, and we've got an exclusive clip of what's to come.
Chrysler isn't releasing the details on this non-street-legal, drag-race ready model yet, but earlier reports suggest an overall weight savings of around 800 pounds by stripping the interior down to the bare essentials (one seat, a set of gauges and no sound deadening material), nixing the wipers and A/C and replacing many of the body panels with composite material. The front brakes will also be modified, along with the rear end and front crossmember, and a roll cage is assuredly part of the package. As for power, expect a big HEMI V8 under the hood producing over 500 hp and close to 500 lb.-ft. of torque. All of that is speculation for now, but expect official word from Mopar shortly.
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If you're one of the lucky 6,400 customers to lay claim to the 425 hp Dodge Challenger SRT8, we have good news. The first 1,000 special edition Challengers have already been built, and they're en-route to a dealer near you. For those of you that won't be getting your Hemi-powered muscle car in the first wave, you won't have to wait long, either. Every SRT Challenger will be produced by the beginning of July, which means Woodward should be full of good-looking retro coupes come August. If you want a 6.1L Challenger, you're going to have to hit eBay or wait for 2009, because all 2008 models have been spoken for.
The Challenger has been one of the few pieces of good news surrounding the Pentastar of late, and a hot product couldn't be coming at a better time. We know gas if $4 per gallon and V8 muscle cars aren't exactly what the doctor ordered, but we're probably just as excited as the 6,400 Challenger SRT8 owners to get behind the wheel of this future classic.
While you won't be able to buy any of what Four Wheeler Blog calls Mopar's "Psychotic Six", you are permitted to drool so grab your kerchiefs and read on. FWB has the scoop on half a dozen project vehicles that Mopar's been wrenching on and are ready for prime time. The lot includes four Wrangler-based vehicles, one Dodge Ram and one Jeep Liberty.
We begin with the Jeep HEMI JK that's got a 110-inch wheelbase to prevent wheelies caused by its 6.1L V8. Then there's the Jeep Dana 60 JK, so named after its "Military Spec" Dana 60 rear axle. Our favorite is the Diesel TJ (above), which is basically a Wrangler outfitted with a 2.8L four-cylinder oil burner. The silver medal gets awarded to the Jeep J8 Sarge that is seriously spec'd out for some unforgiving ground warfare. The Cummins Power Wagon is inspired by PWs of old and powered by a 6.7L Cummins diesel. Finally we have the Jeep Liberator II that adds some serious off-roading equipment to the standard Liberty.
Four Wheeler Blog says these vehicles have already been revealed somewhere (a desert, we suspect), and it will have more detailed info on each of them in the August issue of Four Wheeler accompanied by some amazing photography of dune jumping and sand surfing.
It's always dangerous to get excited about a car that looks halfway decent in pictures. This creative body project that was born from a very rare 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T SE is just such a car. Yes, the value of this car has been pretty well erased by the addition of an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser roof, and that could cause some outbursts from purists. The thing is, the stupid values that cars of this era have been reaching at auction are a recent phenomenon. This particular Challenger was just a two year old car when someone went at it with the nibbler back in 1973. From what we can see, this is a 50/50 car – the closeups tell a story that's a little rougher than the more distant snaps. If you've got $28,000, you can enter a starting bid. The seller points out that it'll need some work, and that'll likely cost you at least another 30-large for a full proper restoration. Nobody has thrown cash at the auction yet, so that's a good sign for bidders. With less than a day to go, you may be able to snag this vintage metal shop Frankenstein without a bidder war.
Mopar has been selling products for Jeep vehicles for a while, but in an announcement at the NADA show, it's finally decided to move beyond bike racks and vinyl care products.
Chrysler's performance parts division will begin offering the equipment buyers normally purchase through aftermarket firms soon after they leave the dealership. While the first run of parts – everything from carbon fiber appliqués to stereo systems – aren't what you'd call Rubicon-rated, Mopar will also be offering heavy-duty bumpers equipped with winches, lifted suspension setups and other off-road ready kit.
In addition to the product push, dealers and owners can sit down in front of the new Electronic Accessory System – dubbed EASy – where they can customize their ride as they see fit. The system is only available at dealers right now, but Mopar will be launching an online site on March 31st so potential mud-pluggers can soup-up their rides from the comfort of their couch.
All the equipment can be installed by dealers, something that's key to the product's success, since most owners buy accessories for their Jeeps within the first 90 days of rolling off the lot.
Just like in the '60s, some people will take their new 2008 Dodge Challengers to the drags. Chrysler is reportedly ready to make this very easy for new Challenger owners. Allpar is reporting that within a few weeks, there will issue forth from Chrysler a Super Stock special version of the Challenger. The intended application is Stock Eliminator drag racing, and the cars get their own VINs and lots of lightening. Powering drivers down the strip will be versions of the Hemi and 5.9 liter Magnum V8s, twisting through manual or automatic boxes.
Jettisoning things like wipers, HVAC, sound deadening and seats make for a Challenger that's definitely not road-ready, but much lighter for track applications. 800 pounds have reportedly been trimmed out of the car through the omission of equipment and special composite body parts. Mechanicals have been modified to better suit the use, too. The main body unit gets tweaks, and the front crossmember is modified to a drop-out unit. Front brakes are largely unnecessary when the nose is in the air for part of the run, so lightweight units have been fitted. The fascia support and cooling system also get the slim-fast treatment. More information will supposedly arrive soon, but a 1,320-pounding neo-E body pony car appears close at hand.
