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Thanks, Dodge, for staying true to the original Challenger design

4K views 26 replies 20 participants last post by  SoCalChallengerLover 
#1 ·
Just saw a new Mustang and a new Camaro while on my way home, and it reminded me of how grateful I am that Dodge kept the old-school look on the 2015 Challenger. It's easy to take for granted, and you don't know what you've got until it's gone.
 
#4 ·
I grew up during that old school look and love the way Dodge stayed true to that look. The retro dash in the 2015's brought back wonderful memories from the 70's. Just had to get one again after all these years. Owned Camaros and mustangs too back then but now they just don't look right to me now. Nothing against either but just like the old style better.
 
#5 ·
new camaros look like hot wheels toys. new mustangs sold out to the european market.

Mopar or no car.
 
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#8 ·
Yep, I just hope they don't screw it up on the next redesign. I read that the plan is for it to be smaller and lighter.
 
#9 ·
I thought Ford did a great job with the original 'reboot' classic look bodies. It's gone steadily downhill since then.
I never saw anything 'retro' with the newer Camaros.
Obviously Dodge nailed it. Knew I had to have one when I saw the first concept photos.
 
#12 ·
Challenger is the one and only.
 
#13 ·
The funny thing is how badly GM screwed up.

They actually designed a very retro Camaro along with the version they ended up choosing for the 6th generation Camaro.

This photos is small, but look at the car on the left. It is a near clone of a 1969 Camaro and the 5th Gen Camaro would have sold like hotcakes had they built it over the more modern version they chose.





I can only imagine the recepton for the new Camaro had GM done it right and offered the more retro car.

I'm sure the thinking in GM went something like this.

"Hey boss, the new retro Mustang is sellign like hotcakes. Should we make the new Camaro truly retro or screw it up with modern design features like a gunslit windows, angry grill, fat fenders, and fat Corvette rear end".


"I don't think people really want retro. The retro Mustang is a mistake. Lets go with the modern Camaro one".

****ing idiots.
 
#17 ·
This is very true, but we'll never know how many Camaro's might have been sold had it looked more like the '69. I for one think that it would have been a bigger success.
 
#23 ·
Except not everyone likes the look of the 69. If they had to go retro, I wish they would have done the 70 1/2 instead. As it is, I think they went too retro with the Camaro. The Camaro was always about beautiful modern designs. There was enough retro in this segment already. I wish they would have done something modern and beautiful. Something we haven't seen before.

Anyway, the current design is such a success that the next generation looks very close to it. With it running on the smaller, lighter Alpha platform, it would certainly be the ultimate pony car. Hopefully, they will add enough room so that is taller guys will fit OK. As much as I love the current Z/28, I sure wouldn't want to make a daily driver out of it.

All that being said, I love my Challenger more then any car I've ever owned (except for perhaps my 78 Trans Am WS6/W72), and gonna keep driving the wheels off it. I hope to be the guy to set the record for highest mileage in a Challenger!
 
#18 · (Edited)
I do not think the Camaro looks bad. The Challenger looks better. OK that night rider thing on the hood looks really bad.

The Mustang? It drives good. Why don't they just make it a 2 seater? What is that stupid useless space behind the front seats? Is it for my jacket? Even if you accept the Euro-Pretentious looks, the rear is still ugly.

The Challenger has appeal because it is bigger. It looks great. It drives good. Its fast. Its a big comfortable American muscle-cruiser. Not a pony car. They nailed it with this one.

I will not buy a pony car. Even if they make it the size of a Mustang (I just threw up a little in my mouth) it will not handle a road course like a 2 seat sports car. What is the point?

I remember 2 door Polaras, GTOs and other muscle-cruisers that could take 8 teenagers to the drive-in. A post above this one quoted "You don't know what you've got 'til its gone". So true Joni Mitchel. So true.
 
#20 ·
So happy with the 392, size of car, and awesome retro looks. I am grateful it's made it this far. Emissions standards in the U.S. and the world will only continue making it harder/less cost effective for manufacturers to build these cars in the price range available to most people and keep the v8 battles going.

4 cylinder Eco-boost mustang should be a wake-up call for all muscle car lovers.

On paper that car looks just fine. Then you hear the engine startup and revs and it makes you shed a small tear for the poor pony.
 
#22 ·
Being able to own a PCP Challenger with all the modern stuff from todays cars is a dream come true for me also.
My first Muscle car was a 1970 Cougar Eliminator and my buddy had a white Hemi Cuda. I also had a friend with a PCP 1971 roadrunner. My challenger today reminds me of all three of those 1970's cars. The Mercury Cougar Eliminators Black interior ( the 4 round gauges ), the Hemi from the Cuda and the one of a kind Plum Crazy Purple color from the 1971 Roadrunner.
The fact that the 6.1 Hemi is old school with out the VVT and MDS is icing on the cake. Now to get the heads, intake, cam, and tuning done and were back in the 1970's muscle car days.
As Austin Powers says "Were Livin The Dream Baby, Yeh" .
P.S. I don't care if my car is not the fastest anymore, but looking "groovy" is the is cool.
 
#24 ·
I'm grateful for as well!

My one main design complaint was that the Challenger is not a true hardtop. I was following the concept from inception and it was a true hardtop. Then the production model came, no hardtop, and I was bummed. I'm sure it has to do with crash/safety/expense issues.

But overall, I'm thrilled with the car.
 
#25 ·
I've loved the newest generation Challengers since they were first introduced because they are so retro inspired. I just watched the old 1971 "Vanishing Point" last night (a grievous oversight in my upbringing that I hadn't seen it before) and I was struck by how very much Dodge did stick to the original design. (With that said the car in the movie is a '70 and you can really see the differences in the '08-'14 model inspirations and the '71/'15 differences). I'm still so very impressed that Dodge managed to pull off such a masterful blend of the old design with all the modern updates. Well done and I'm still so happy to be an owner now.

FYI, for those of you who want to see an awesome old 70's car chase movie featuring some classic MOPAR, Vanishing Point is about $9 on amazon. The blu-ray version has some great extras about the car.
 
#26 ·
I have been a Mopar guy for over 20 years and have owned, restored and worked on many 60/70's muscle Mopars. I have loved the modern Challengers since the 2006 concept was first shown and I have had a picture on my desk since 2006 of it hoping that one day I could finally be able to purchase one. I was so happy with the integration of the classic look with the newer technology. It was done seamlessly, and even though the modern Challengers are bigger in most aspects anyone knows what it is at first glance. Well this year it finally happened, I sold my 1972 RoadRunner that I have had for 19 years and took the plunge with a 15 SRT and I could not be more happy with it. The Modern Challenger has more power, better braking and is more comfortable than the Muscle Cars of the past but still has that Vintage look. :)
 
#27 ·
NOTHING on the street looks like a Challenger, period!

The New Mustang front end looks too much like a FUSION front end to me.
You sit WAY too low in the Camaro, reminds me of sitting in a bathtub!

Besides Mustangs and Camaro's are a dime a dozen on the street.
 
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