Specs & Info Page 2
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Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda were released in 1970 on Chrysler Corporation's new "E-body" platform, marking the introduction of Dodge's first true Pony Car. While General Motors and Ford Motor Company may have launched their Pony Cars earlier, Dodge proved that you cannot rush perfection. The Plymouth Barracuda had been in production with a very different look since 1964, but the Challenger was an all new model line, and it was very popular since it's inception. The Challenger was intended to be a high performance, high horsepower head turner, on both the street and track, yet it offered lower performance engines to make the Challenger affordable, and practical for everyone. The Challenger, offered in both a coupe and a convertible, was very popular, and with such engine offerings as the Hemi, it quickly made a place for itself in the record books, but due to the rising cost of fuel, and the influx of economy cars, the Challenger ended it's run in 1974. The Challenger name reappeared in 1978 through 1983 as a rebadged form of the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda, but it was nothing like the Challengers of the early 1970s. Time went on, and Dodge found itself without a rear wheel drive performance car for some 30 years, (excluding the super-car Dodge Viper) and even though Dodge had released the reborn Dodge Charger for the 2005 model year, many were disappointed in its new 4-door sedan styling, and demanded the return of a true Pony Car. Then in the summer of 2005, rumors began to fly about an upcoming rear wheel drive, high performance V8 car, and those rumors attached the name "Challenger" to this phantom Pony Car. These rumors came to validation in early January of 2006 when magazines such as MPH debuted their pictures of the Dodge Challenger Concept, with quotes of a hopeful 2007 or 2008 model year release. A few weeks later, on January 14, 2006, the general public was officially introduced, in person to the awesome new Dodge Challenger Concept.

Late in the 2005 Calendar year blurry pictures began to surface of what many believed to be the next big thing from Daimler Chrysler Corporation. The muscular, bright orange car strongly resembled the e-body based Plymouth Barracuda and Dodge Challenger of the early 1970s, but with a sort of modernized feel. Rumors were rampant and in early January 2006 DCX made it official that the new Dodge Challenger Concept would be showcased at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, later that month. They made good on that promise as the centerpiece of Dodge's huge section was a glowing beauty that was the new Challenger Concept.

While this picture may not accurately portray the massive crowds surrounding the car at almost all times during the public viewing days, many found it difficult to get near the new pony car concept while the Challenger made its week-long NAIAS debut. That same excitement was obvious in the press as just about every automotive media source, from internet blogs and forums to the big name motoring magazines worldwide featured the Challenger, even though little information was available at that time. The only real information numbers available were the very basics such as the specifications and estimated performance numbers.

Over the months following the debut of the Challenger, speculations of what 'could be' with the revamped classic were available all over the internet, and just as discussions began to die down, the Challenger popped up at a handful of car shows on the west coast, and then at a huge Mopar show at the Walter P Chrysler Museum.

Again, rumors flew over when the new car would be announced, as the public and the media alike were certain that this modern muscle car would find its way to the showroom floors of your neighborhood Dodge dealership. One of the most popular rumors, which may have been forgone since it made its way to the public well before its time, was that the Challenger would be debuted at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Metro Detroit, which is a massive rolling car show, but on June 30, 2006 newspapers hit the stand, from the Detroit Free Press to the Wall Street Journal; the Challenger was "a-go", and it would be made official the following day at the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway. Mopar faithful and the performance world eagerly waited as there was a short presentation with NASCAR Legend Richard Petty, current NASCAR and Dodge Motorsports star Kasey Kahne, and Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer Tom LaSorda, and with them was a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A. Among the display there was a starting line-like setup, and with the throaty roar of the 6.1L Hemi engine, the Challenger Concept drove around from behind two large semi trailers and Mr. LaSorda waived a green flag, and made the move of the Dodge Challenger from Concept to a production vehicle official.

It is no secret that the exterior of the new Dodge Challenger was designed around its muscle car ancestor, but the interior also shows clear similarities to the early 70s version, but with a twist of technology and modernization. As you open the door and climb into the car, you do not have the stale look that can often come with copying an older model, but instead, it is a sharp angular take on a retro muscle car feel. The leather, high back seats have a sunken in, ribbed look, just like the seats which came in the 1970 Challenger. These seats wrap around the driver and passenger to provide more comfort and support than do the old model, and provide more grip under spirited driving. The shift console takes cues from the muscle car era as well, but again, with some minor enhancements to improve functionality, without losing its retro aesthetics. As you pull the door shut once you are settled into the drivers seat, the doors also carry a retro look, with the molded arm rests set in the inner door panels, and the door handles are mounted in the underside of that molded armrest. The door panels are trimmed in brushed silver to match the rest of the interior, as opposed to the muscle car era Challenger, which was mostly trimmed in wood grain.

Like the seats and the center console, the dashboard carries strong resemblances of the muscle car era. One of the most popular steering wheel options of the Dodge Muscle car era was the Tuff Wheel. It was a leather wrapped steering wheel with a matching leather horn button. Connecting these leather wrapped portions were three brushed aluminum spokes, at a slightly more than 90 degree angle from the bottom spoke, to each of the side spokes. The modern Tuff Wheel has actually been used before, on both the Dodge Magnum and Dodge Charger, which is fitting seeing as how they are also both reborn Dodge legends. The new Tuff Wheel still carries the thick black grip, with the matching center section, but the center section of the new wheel has been enlarged, and affixed with a chrome Dodge badge. the three brushed aluminum spokes are still present, but the side spokes have been moved down the wheel slightly, forming a 90 degree angle with the bottom spoke, and the three spokes are shorter due to the enlarged center section. Like the vintage Tuff Wheel, the new wheel is connected to the dashboard by means of a ribbed plastic cuff, which also matches the steering wheel color.

One of the popular items of the 70s Challenger was the "slap stick" shift console, and it is that look that the Dodge designers used when designing the center section of this new model. The 70s console had a raised section around the shifter itself, providing a sort of guard around the shifter area, and gradually dropping as it went back, and finally flattening out at the console mounted storage compartment. The new Challenger concept has the same raised section on the passenger side of the console, but whereas the shifter was sunken into the old console, the flat shifter surface is elevated, at a sharp angle to meet the high side of the console. Also, the wood grain finish of the muscle car era has been foregone for a brushed silver finish. this new console protects the allure of the old console, but with the elevated shifter surface, it allows for a more comfortable feel for the driver.

A look through the retro styled steering wheel brings forth another modernized look of the classic Muscle car. Like the 1970 Challenger T/A, the new Challenger concept has a four gauge cluster, with one large gauge on the left side, then three matching, slightly smaller gauges to the right. While the old cluster had the four gauges set in black plastic, sitting down under the over hanging hood of the dash pad, the new Challenger has a silver gauge face area contrasting to the black dash pad, and it is also flush to the bottom of the dash pad, as opposed to being set back a bit. The "dummy lights" which were located in the gaps between the under side of the gauges on the 1970 Challenger, are now located above the gauges. Where the "dummy lights" were placed on the old dash area, there is now black trim, giving the bottom of the gauge cluster a defined separation from the lower dash area with is also finished in silver. The top of the dash, and the lines of the dash itself strongly resemble the original Challenger. The top dash pad has a downward slope to it except for the area over the gauges, which flares up to allow room for the gauge cluster. The top of the dash slopes downward, as mentioned, and the underside of the dash slopes up and in, and the two sloping portions meet at a flat face, which still holds the Challenger moniker in silver on the black background on the far right side. just above the glove compartment. Where the archaic AM stereo was set in the predominantly black along with the crude heater controls, the center stack of the new Challenger concept is set in brilliant silver, and the antiquated radio and heater controls have been ditched, and in their place, a state of the art audio system and climate control system.

Specs & Info Page 2
Pages:  1a,  1b,  2,  3