No doubt about it, the Challenger is one hot car. Just look at the XV Motorsports '70 Challenger on your cover. XV Motorsports recognized the demand for this car and spared no expense in bringing the E-body into the 21st century. Like many other hot rodders, XV realized the faded memories from our youth are very adept at covering up the inadequacies of '60s technology. Back in the day, we didn't have anything better to compare it to, so we put up with scary handling, poor mileage, spotty construction and marginal safety. And let's not forget performance either. Those factory musclecars needed lots of prodding and poking to get quarter-mile times into the 13s. Modern musclecars do that without breaking a sweat.
Let's be clear, however, I'm not bashing the past. It just isn't fair to compare our favorite cars from yesterday with those of today. I'm the first to yell out how modern designs are largely devoid of visual excitement. You'd think car companies would realize it costs the same to stamp out a car in a beautiful shape as it does an ugly shape. Yet our roads are littered with boring cars, and it hardly makes up for it that they are fuel efficient, safe, or even in some instances, fast. You just can't beat the musclecar styling of the past. The cats who penned those cars weren't held hostage by bean counters; they had free reign to capture the imagination of hot rodders, and they did so by the millions.
So now that I've managed to anger everybody in the span of two paragraphs, let me make up for it by saying, "your ship has come in." Chrysler has announced that starting in 2008, it will build the Challenger. And unlike the Charger, the Challenger will be true to its heritage. By that, I mean it will be solely a two-door coupe and be offered with an available six-speed manual transmission-and we're told it will look as much like the concept car as humanly possible. We can only hope that also equals a pistol-grip shifter, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.
As if the return of the Challenger isn't enough, the order form will also have a box you can check for the optional Hemi. And unlike Hemis of the past, it will have Chrysler's fuel-efficient Multiple Displacement System (MDS), which silently deactivates four cylinders under cruise and light-throttle conditions. That means four times the fuel mileage of the old Hemi, and not one iota less performance. A year or so later, look for an SRT-8 variant with a 425hp, 6.1-liter Hemi.
Our sources at DCX tell us the Challenger will be available in 2008 as a 2008 model-so look for it early that year. As you read this in late August, that means the new Challenger could be less than 18 months away from being in your driveway. I envision getting one with a Hemi and a six-speed-make mine Go-Mango orange.
The Challenger will be built off the replacement for the current LX platform, so it will likely be a little heavy for a true ponycar. If the current Hemi-powered Charger, Magnum and 300C are an indication, look for a 4,000-pound curb weight-not too far from what period Hemi-powered B-bodied cars weighed. Price-wise, a new Hemi-powered Challenger ought to start around $29,995-a tad higher than a V-8 Mustang or a potential Camaro, but with a commensurately higher level of quality and performance. Think of it as an upscale luxury musclecar rather than a budget ponycar.
Don't like the idea of the factory knocking off itself? Then go classic Challenger. We're sure the folks at XV Motorsports will be glad to help you out. It's a win-win situation.
Give me a holla!Got a comment or suggestion about this column, or anything else in Popular Hot Rodding? I want to hear from you. E-mail me at john.hunkins@primedia.com.