After careful consideration, I decided to debut the pictures of my car, and the story behind her name on this site, as a token of appreciation for the Founder(s) of Challenger Talk, the Administrators and Moderators who make it what it is, an especially you the members, who welcomed this Newbie into the amazing world of the Dodge Challenger.
Here's my backstory:
I turned 16 in 1977 in Western Pennsylvania, a bit outside of Pittsburgh. As a driving teen of the late 70's there were plenty of American Muscle cars on the road, but given the economic conditions at the time, I couldn't afford one.
I dreamed of it; I worked to save money to get one, and for a brief 4 1/2 days owned a 1968 GTO, 400ci, 4 speed. But the engine blew up as a result of a cracked crank shaft. Stupid me thought I knew more about cars than I really did, and I had been suckered into buying a car thinking the problem was something else. I had blown all the discretionary funds I had; the rest was for college.
Fast forward to the me of today.
First, a picture of "Renny", before I completed her custom striping:
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Now, what none of you know, is that in my spare time I'm a Staff Writer for a blog site dedicated to the Pittsburgh Steelers; it is called "Behind The Steel Curtain". While I have an MBA, my undergraduate degree is in English Writing, and I've long had a passion for the written word. When I first discovered BTSC, the many comments I wrote caught the attention of the Managing Editor and before long, I was brought on board. Since 2012 I've published over 100 full length articles on a myriad of topics about the Steelers.
In early 2014, I attended the New York City Car Show and sat in all three of the modern American Muscle Cars.
The Ford Mustang: Just didn't feel it. I had rented some the past few years, and just didn't like it. Great car, great history, and a GT would certainly be "muscle", but it just wasn't for me.
The Chevy Camaro: I thought I would like it, but really hated sitting inside it. Its tie to the Transformer movies has created a "toy" image in my head that the interior did nothing to dispel. That, and it just felt cheap.
In all honesty, of the three, I went to the show thinking I'd like the Challenger the least. Glad I was wrong there; the moment I sat in it I knew I had to have one.
I came very close to buying a 2014 Shaker, until I saw pictures of the '15s; I knew immediately I had to have one, and Dodge has not disappointed me one bit.
I saw the 2015 Challenger as a chance to combine two great passions in my life; American Muscle Cars, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
My car's name, "Renny" is short for "Renegade". While many of you may know it as a 1979 song from the band Styx, since 2001 it has also been adopted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the anthem of the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense. It is played in Heinz Field late in every game when the Steelers' defense needs to make a stand. Some of you may scoff (yes, the Steelers are undergoing a less than stellar 3 year run at rebuilding), but the adopted anthem and the video montage of brutal hits that accompanies it during games has become legendary in Pittsburgh.
You may notice of my license plate: URBTSC. It reflects the theme of my car, the blog site I write for, and the fact that for the vast majority of the cars on the roads around me, if they test me, they will find themselves faaar behind me.
So, without further ado, I'd like to share for the first time publicly, with all of you who helped me learn about, and appreciate the nuances of, the Dodge Challenger, pictures of what my two passions look like, combined:
Here's my backstory:
I turned 16 in 1977 in Western Pennsylvania, a bit outside of Pittsburgh. As a driving teen of the late 70's there were plenty of American Muscle cars on the road, but given the economic conditions at the time, I couldn't afford one.
I dreamed of it; I worked to save money to get one, and for a brief 4 1/2 days owned a 1968 GTO, 400ci, 4 speed. But the engine blew up as a result of a cracked crank shaft. Stupid me thought I knew more about cars than I really did, and I had been suckered into buying a car thinking the problem was something else. I had blown all the discretionary funds I had; the rest was for college.
Fast forward to the me of today.
First, a picture of "Renny", before I completed her custom striping:
Now, what none of you know, is that in my spare time I'm a Staff Writer for a blog site dedicated to the Pittsburgh Steelers; it is called "Behind The Steel Curtain". While I have an MBA, my undergraduate degree is in English Writing, and I've long had a passion for the written word. When I first discovered BTSC, the many comments I wrote caught the attention of the Managing Editor and before long, I was brought on board. Since 2012 I've published over 100 full length articles on a myriad of topics about the Steelers.
In early 2014, I attended the New York City Car Show and sat in all three of the modern American Muscle Cars.
The Ford Mustang: Just didn't feel it. I had rented some the past few years, and just didn't like it. Great car, great history, and a GT would certainly be "muscle", but it just wasn't for me.
The Chevy Camaro: I thought I would like it, but really hated sitting inside it. Its tie to the Transformer movies has created a "toy" image in my head that the interior did nothing to dispel. That, and it just felt cheap.
In all honesty, of the three, I went to the show thinking I'd like the Challenger the least. Glad I was wrong there; the moment I sat in it I knew I had to have one.
I came very close to buying a 2014 Shaker, until I saw pictures of the '15s; I knew immediately I had to have one, and Dodge has not disappointed me one bit.
I saw the 2015 Challenger as a chance to combine two great passions in my life; American Muscle Cars, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
My car's name, "Renny" is short for "Renegade". While many of you may know it as a 1979 song from the band Styx, since 2001 it has also been adopted by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the anthem of the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense. It is played in Heinz Field late in every game when the Steelers' defense needs to make a stand. Some of you may scoff (yes, the Steelers are undergoing a less than stellar 3 year run at rebuilding), but the adopted anthem and the video montage of brutal hits that accompanies it during games has become legendary in Pittsburgh.
You may notice of my license plate: URBTSC. It reflects the theme of my car, the blog site I write for, and the fact that for the vast majority of the cars on the roads around me, if they test me, they will find themselves faaar behind me.
So, without further ado, I'd like to share for the first time publicly, with all of you who helped me learn about, and appreciate the nuances of, the Dodge Challenger, pictures of what my two passions look like, combined:
