The Pony Car War Is On

[Mr.DJ]

Below are excerpts taken from the upcoming March 2006 issue of HOT ROD.

From the '70 through the '74 model years, Dodge produced a total of 157,735 Challengers (lets ignore the Mitsubishi that wore the name in the '80s). That's nothing. After all, Ford sold 559,451 Mustangs during the '65 model year alone. But the Challenger has always had a higher profile than its sales numbers would suggest. Maybe because it played a bad-ass in movies like Vanishing Point and Natural Born Killers. Maybe because with engines like the 440 Six-Pak and 426 Hemi available it ignited more dreams than it did sales. Or maybe it's just because it was so danged good looking. But to many minds, no ponycar was a greater musclecar than the Challenger and its equally legendary brother, the Barracuda. So Dodge had to be careful reinventing it for 21st Century hero work.

"Challenger draws upon the initial '70 model as the icon of the series," says Tom Tremont, vice president, advanced vehicle design. "The '70 model is the most sought after by collectors. But instead of merely recreating that car, the designers endeavored to build a Challenger most people see in their mind's eye--a vehicle without the imperfections like the old car's tucked-under wheels, long front overhang, and imperfect fits. As with all pleasurable memories, you remember the good and screen out the bad. We wanted the concept car to evoke all those sweet memories . . . everything you thought the Challenger was, and more."

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[rodkil1]

Proof the Hot Rod is bias for the Camaro





Great read though I can't wait till I get mine in the mail.

[4v383]

Any photographer will tell ya , a great backdrop makes for a great photo!

[Challenger_Nut]

I guess if it's a pony car war that leaves the Challenger out. I guess Dodge has started another new segment. The overweight pony car segment. It's called the Pig Car. Oink, Oink! 4160 pounds of carbon fiber, if thats true I hate to see what it weighs when they hang sheet metal on it. Come on Chrysler lets get with the program and put this car on a serious diet!

Just my humble opinion!

[HIGH_HEMI]

Originally Posted by 4v383

Any photographer will tell ya , a great backdrop makes for a great photo!

I totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[allhemi]

Well theres another magazine I have to get!

[ekool]

Originally Posted by allhemi

Well theres another magazine I have to get!

Yup, the damn Challenger is getting a ton of coverage!

[Big Country]

Originally Posted by Challenger_Nut

I guess if it's a pony car war that leaves the Challenger out. I guess Dodge has started another new segment. The overweight pony car segment. It's called the Pig Car. Oink, Oink! 4160 pounds of carbon fiber, if thats true I hate to see what it weighs when they hang sheet metal on it. Come on Chrysler lets get with the program and put this car on a serious diet!

Just my humble opinion!

Just out of curiosity, where did you see a weight of 4160lbs for the Challenger with the carbon fiber body?

Also keep in mind, the prototype is on the LX platform, not the LY.

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by Challenger_Nut

I guess if it's a pony car war that leaves the Challenger out. I guess Dodge has started another new segment. The overweight pony car segment. It's called the Pig Car. Oink, Oink! 4160 pounds of carbon fiber, if thats true I hate to see what it weighs when they hang sheet metal on it. Come on Chrysler lets get with the program and put this car on a serious diet!

Just my humble opinion!

The Concept was 4,160 pounds. And the Concept Camaro was 79 inches wide. Don't count on either number making the final cut. These are "concept cars". Let's see what the production cars do. If the Challenger is built on the LX, then it will probably be around 4000 lbs. The LY based car should drop a couple of hundred pounds from that. We'll see.

[stevesrt4]

under 4k sure would be nice.... I can't wait to see these things at the track.