In the 30-plus years since a Challenger last rolled off a Dodge assembly line (the 1978-83 Dodge Challenger was a rebadged Mitsubishi), Chrysler, Dodge's parent group, has suffered some tough times. But those three decades were also peppered with major successes, and more than once Chrysler bet all its chips on a single line of cars-and won. Now that the automaker is again riding a resurgence, owing to the popularity of its LX platform (think Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum and Charger), perhaps the time is right for a reborn fire breather from the past to take on the popular Ford Mustang. What better time to reinvent the Hemi-powered Challenger muscle car from the '70s!
What you see here, accompanied by a wink and a nod, is the Challenger concept for the Detroit auto show. A production version seems inevitable, and unlike a couple other specials-the Viper and the Prowler-the Challenger has a good chance to sell in large numbers.
According to Tom Tremont, the vice-president of advance product creation, the inspiration for the shape of the Challenger comes from the 1970 Challenger. The original was built from 1970 through 1974, with minor changes made from year to year and about 190,000 sold in all. The designers said they chose the first Challenger as their inspiration because it is the purest and least-embellished model.
Tremont's team at the Pacifica Advanced Design Center had to strip away much of the modern design idioms to which they were accustomed. For example, after a few initial sketches, the Challenger lacked a retro stance and proportions so it was decided the popular short overhangs had to go. Stretching the distance from the bumpers to the tires fixed the proportions and also canceled the LX's shortened wheelbase as the Challenger's 197.8-inch length makes it longer than a Chrysler 300 or the original Challenger.