Sneak Preview: 2008 Dodge Challenger

[Mr.DJ]

Expected Pricing: $25,000-$35,000 | Release Date: Early 2008?

Sneak Preview: 2008 Dodge Challenger

Deja vu, and it's orange, too (Orange Pearl to be precise).

It was in the 1970 model year that Dodge finally got into the pony car race. Ford established the pattern for this vehicle category when it introduced the Mustang as a 1964 1/2 model. Chevrolet followed suit with its 1967 Camaro, as did Pontiac with the Firebird.

Dodge didn't respond until its challenger, the 1970 Challenger.

Fast forward 35 years. With the pony car reborn in the form of the 2005 Ford Mustang, Chevy and Dodge are saddling up new ponies and getting ready to gallop. Both displayed concept cars at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and the Dodge Challenger concept looked ready to roll from the show stand to the show room.

We wanted the concept car to evoke all those sweet memories . . . everything you thought the Challenger was, and more, said Tom Tremont, Chrysler Group vice president for advanced vehicle design.

Built on the Chrysler Group LX platform that underpins the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Magnum, the Challenger might go into production as soon as late 2007, assuming, of course, that the concept is approved for production, something that seems likely with the popularity of the new Mustang and with Chevy's reveal of a new Camaro concept. That also assumes that the car could be built on the current chassis rather than having to wait for the next generation of the platform due in 2009. In that case, the Challenger likely would be a 2010 model.

The Challenger concept was powered by Chrysler's 6.1-liter Hemi V8 that cranks out 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque to a pair of 21-inch rear wheels. Dodge says the car should be able to sprint to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds (nearly a second faster than the famed 1970 original), could have a top speed of more than 170 miles per hour and yet could cover 300 miles on a single tank of fuel, thanks to the Hemi's ability to cruise down the highway with only four of its eight cylinders firing. (Some of the old ones can do that, too, but it isn't intentional.) While the 2006 concept looks a lot like the Coke bottle shaped 1970 original, it is built on a 116-inch wheelbase vs. 110 for the original. The concept also is more than six inches longer, two inches wider and more than five inches taller than the original, yet the concept maintains the beautiful long-nose, short deck and nicely rounded proportions of the original.

Its designers had to set aside much of their modern knowledge to maintain the exciting proportions of the original. The concept features relatively long front and rear overhangs, which does not make for outstanding aerodynamics. The only modern design cues are the big wheels and tires that fill the wheel wells. By today's standards, the original had small wheels and tires.

We wanted the concept car to evoke all those sweet memories . . . everything you thought the Challenger was, and more, said Tom Tremont, Chrysler Group vice president for advanced vehicle design.

Those racy stripes going down the center of the hood are actually sections of unpainted carbon fiber. The concept's interior is as exciting as its exterior. Seats have '70s-style pleats, with a single orange-colored trim panel in the seatback providing a visual highlight.

The original Challenger was the first production car with injection-molded interior door trim panels so special attention was paid to the doors of the concept, which look like machined billet aluminum with a rubberized material cover.

In place of the standard instrument panel, the Challenger concept has a gauge cluster designed to look like a bank of the Hemi engine with its head cover removed, and with an enlarged first cylinder housing a special engine computer that allows the driver to track 0-60 mph and quarter-mile times, quarter-mile and top speeds as well as maximum engine rpm in each of the six forward gears.

The Challenger concept was unveiled at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

__________________

Source: WOAI.com
by CyberBob
3/19/2006 10:47:31 AM

[Fish]

i like the concept with the special engine computer. who needs a time slip? i wonder if i could hook my dashboard up to a printer....

[PhantomR/T]

then there comes the problem of how accurate they are My stock tach and oil pressure guagesare notoriously off stock. The track vs the onboard would be awesome f they actually make it with the computer

[wirewilly]

The only thing I want to hook-up is a pair of 315's. If I have to explain this ,you are on the wrong board!

[06rthemi]

Here is some info I recieved from Chrysler

Lots to read,
Dodge 2006 Challenger Concept
Flexes Some Muscle

Bold concept is a thoroughbred in 1970 “Pony Car” Tradition

In creating the new Dodge Challenger concept car the designers at Chrysler Group’s West Coast Pacifica Studio knew they had a rich heritage to draw upon.
They also knew they had an obligation to “get it right.”
Tasked with the enviable assignment of developing a hot-looking performance coupe using Chrysler Group’s advanced rear-wheel drive LX platform and its fabled HEMI® engine, the designers explored a variety of options, eventually gravitating to “something” for the Dodge brand-- appropriate given that brand’s bold performance image. The idea of reinventing the highly-collectible Challenger quickly came to mind.
Eager to begin, the designers drew up a “short list “of the essential attributes of a muscle car: distinctly American; mega horsepower; pure, minimal, signature lines; aggressive air-grabbing grille; and bold colors and graphics.
“Challenger draws upon the initial 1970 model as the icon of the series,” said Tom Tremont, Vice President- Advanced Vehicle Design. “The 1970 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.”
“During the development of the concept car,” says Micheal Castiglione, principal exterior designer, “we brought an actual 1970 Challenger into the studio. For me, that car symbolizes the most passionate era of automotive design.”
Being key to the image, getting the right proportions was critical. The Challenger concept sits on a 116-inch wheelbase, 6-inches longer than the original. But its width is 2-inches greater, giving the concept car a squat, tougher, more purposeful persona.

[06rthemi]

Here is the rest of article

The signature side view accent line – designers call it the “thrust” line—is higher up on the body, running horizontal through the fender and door and kicking up just forward of the rear wheel.
In section the upper and lower body surfaces intersect and fall away along this line, which has just a whisper of the original car’s coved surfacing.
“We wanted to stay pure,” said Castiglione, “with simple, minimal line work, but with everything just right.”
The five-spoke chrome wheels-- 20-inch, front; 21-inch, rear—are set flush with the bodyside, giving the car the powerful muscular stance of a prizefighter eager to challenge the world. Wheel openings are drawn tightly against the tires, with the rearward edges trailing off. To emphasize the iconic muscularity, the designers added plan view “hip” to the rear quarters.
One of the key characteristics of the original car the designers wanted to retain was the exceptionally wide look of both the front and back ends. To achieve this the designers increased both the front and rear tracks to 64 and 65 inches respectively, wider than the LX, wider even than the 1970 model. To realize the long horizontal hood the designers deemed essential, the front overhang was also increased.

[06rthemi]

Here are the specs

SDodge 2006 Challenger Concept

Specifications

Length: 197.8” (5025 mm)
Wheelbase: 116.0” (2945mm)
Front Overhang: 38.9” (989mm)
Width: 78.6” (1997mm)
Height: 57.0” (1449mm)
Track, Frt/Rr: 64.0”/65.1”
Couple: 31.5” (800mm)

Color:
Exterior: Challenger Orange
Interior: Black

Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
60-0 ft: 133 ft.
Standing 1⁄4 mile: 13 seconds
Top Speed: 174mph
Range: 300 miles
Powertrain and Suspension:
Engine: 6.1L Hemi (425hp@6000rpm/420ft.-lbs@4800rpm)
Drivetrain: RWD/ 6-speed-manual
Suspension: Short/long-arm Independent

Front Tire Size: P255/40R20
Wheel Size: 20”X 9”
Outer Diameter: 29.76” (777mm)

Rear Tire Size: P265/45R21
Wheel Size: 21”X 10”
Outer Diameter: 29.76” (756mm)

[Hemidakota]

God bless to Mike and his design

[l3it3r@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by Mr.DJ

Expected Pricing: $25,000-$35,000 | Release Date: Early 2008?

That makes me happy.

[GottahaveaHemi]

[quote=Mr.DJ]

Expected Pricing: $25,000-$35,000 | Release Date: Early 2008?

There is no way... When people are payin over $40,000 for the SRT's available now, how are we going to get a new challenger for less than that? I don't see this happening. Although it would be miraculous to see.