The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat & Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Thread (Hellcat Lovers)

FAREWELL, DODGE CHALLENGER: PAYING TRIBUTE TO A V8 STREET-RACING LEGEND

America’s maddest muscle car deserves a eulogy. But the inspiration behind the final Dodge Challenger is murkier than you’d think

I've never done a burnout. It's time to drop a tactical nuke on that cherry. Handily for the 32-year-old burnout virgin, the Dodge Challenger has a mode solely dedicated to tyre vandalism. Tap ‘line lock’ in the touchscreen. Stamp on the brake pedal until an approved pressure is acquired. Now hold ‘OK’ on the steering wheel and gingerly release the left pedal. The rear brakes relax, while my thumb keeps the fronts pinned. Our photographer and videographer signal they're ready. Quick glance over my shoulder for cops. The Californian coast is clear. Briefly.

Three seconds later it's opaque with smoke. There was a sickening lurch as the throttle was mashed, then the car stood dead still and mercilessly marmalised its Pirellis. This is it! I'm a burnout king! ’Murica, f*** yeah!

Having never done a burnout, no one told me when you’re supposed to stop. Have we got the shot yet? Does line lock mode have a time limit? Will the supercharged V8 overheat, or does the charger belt whip through the bonnet before the tyres burst? Ahh, give it a couple more seconds... There, that oughta do it. Especially as the car is now ingesting smoke as fast as it creates it.

 
Heavy metal: Dodge Challenger Black Ghost vs Ford Mustang Dark Horse

The Challenger is dead, for now. Will the muscle car survive? We couldn’t leave California without a 1,300bhp grudge match

Rest in peace the muscle car? The Capitol insurrection’s got nothing on this. Amend the constitution! You can pry my V8 from my cold, dead hands.

Erm, no. Outside of California’s stringent tailpipe laws America is still potty for these things. Sales are steadfast and there’s a huge generation-spanning community. The reaction to our Challenger was universally jingoistic. Unprompted, they reel off the tale of the cop from Detroit. And because Americans are born able to discern model years and memorise engine codenames, anyone who stopped for a chat knew the Mustang we brought along to crash the Challenger’s funeral party was a bit special. Think of it like an M3 CS – sharpened, honed, dipped in choice options.

Black Ghost versus Dark Horse. The most malevolent sounding face-off in all car history? Well, strictly this isn’t a fair match. The Dodge is so old it’s being carved into the face of Mount Rushmore, while Ford’s latest, greatest Mustang is $40,000 (£32k) cheaper and 300bhp worse off. And we’re in the state of California, where the coffee is skinny, decaf and served in a recycled cup. Where every second car is that blobby computer mouse on wheels you know as the Tesla Model Y – 1,307bhp of heavy metal shouldn’t play well here.

But look where we are: downtown San Francisco. Thanks to an iconic car chase set on these very streets that was riddled with continuity errors, jammed with heroic stunts and unsullied by music, this idiosyncratically hilly city put Ford vs Dodge (OK, it was a Charger back then) on the automotive map.

 
Challenger meets Charger: farewell to the V8 Dodge

We convene two Scat Pack Dodges in Hells Gate, Canada, to give the V8 muscle car icons a suitably sizzling send-off

It’s hazy at Hells Gate, and the smoke stings your eyes.

A few miles to the north, an out-of-control wildfire has caused a road closure, turning this narrow two-lane canyon road into a suddenly empty spur to nowhere, free from traffic.

Contemplating the big Dodge Challenger sitting on the shoulder with the smell of burning timber hanging in the air, it’s not hard to see why the era of this sort of combustion-powered guilty pleasure is drawing to a close.

For 15 years, this huge coupé has represented moonshine-grade distilled nostalgia for a time that was shorter than everyone seems to remember. The original model was introduced in the autumn of 1969 and was dead in just four years, killed off by the meteor impacts of 1970s fuel crises.

Now, the modern V8-powered Challenger has reached its own vanishing point. Even for the British, who, the occasional grey import aside, have had to look enviously across the pond at American muscle cars, there’s likely to be a sense of loss.

www.autocar.co.uk

Challenger meets Charger: farewell to the V8 Dodge | Autocar

We convene two Scat Pack Dodges in Hells Gate, Canada, to give the V8 muscle car icons a suitably sizzling send-off
www.autocar.co.uk www.autocar.co.uk
 
Brace yourselves: this is what the new all-electric Dodge Charger will sound like

Dodge has released the Charger Daytona’s fake V8 sound unto the world

The all-electric Dodge Charger is nearly here, and now we know what it’ll sound like. You will too if you have a watch of the video Dodge recently posted on Instagram. And yes, we promise that noise is coming from an EV.

Dodge first told us its electric Charger would be noisy when it unveiled the Daytona SRT Concept. That had something called a 'Fratzonic chambered exhaust' that pumped out 126 decibels of computer-generated V8-style sound, and the system is about to make it into production.

The sound itself has been developed since the concept and we’re unsure as to whether it’ll be quite as loud as first suggested, but when the production-spec car was revealed, Dodge said the new EV would deliver “Hellcat levels of sound intensity”.


www.instagram.com

Dodge on Instagram: "Hear that? #Dodge #ChargerDaytona"

56K likes, 3,587 comments - dodgeofficial on August 5, 2024: "Hear that? #Dodge #ChargerDaytona".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
 
The range-topping 670bhp electric Dodge Charger will cost just over $73k

Scat Pack e-Charger leads the way, or you can have the 496bhp R/T for just under $60k

The prices of the new, all-electric, artificial sound-pumped Dodge Charger have been confirmed, with the range-topping 670bhp ‘Scat Pack’ leading the line at $73,190. Alternatively, you can nab yourself the dialled-down, 496bhp ‘R/T’ for $59,595.

Both will be the very first Stellantis-made vehicles to use its ‘STLA Large’ chassis and will be fitted with two 250kW electric driving modules - one at each end - housing separate inverters, gearboxes and motors for better packaging.

In terms of actual speed, the Scat Pack will hit 60 in just 3.3s, Vmax at 137mph and run a quarter-mile in 11.5. Not quite the Fast and Furious contender, but still quick enough. The R/T, meanwhile, slugs the 60 run out in 4.7s before plateauing at 134mph. Ah, gone are the days of 200mph Chargers that erupt with clutch and tyre smoke, it seems.

Or is it? Because we know the ‘e-Chargers’ will soon be followed by two old-school piston-engined versions. We also know that they’ll produce around 420 and 550bhp respectively, though, that’s about all we know. Still, we salute Dodge for keeping some traditions alive.

 
Dodge unveils Charger Daytona EV pricing: starting from $59,595

The Dodge Charger Daytona is the first EV from the company announced in March this year and ahead of the mass production start this summer, we have the prices of the two trims available - R/T and Scat Pack.

The starting price of the vehicle is $59,595 for the base R/T trim with the so-called Direct Connection Stage 1 upgrade, so it only qualifies for the full $7,500 tax credit in the US if you lease it.

The Direct Connection Stage 1 package includes a dual-motor setup with AWD, 496 hp and a big 100.5 kWh battery good for 510 km range as per EPA.

The Scat Pack with the Direct Connection Stage 2 upgrade bumps up the power to 670 hp and torque to 850 Nm with the same 100.5 kWh battery, which drops the range to 418 km. With the said configuration, the vehicle can do from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds. The said trim will set you back $73,190 and is also eligible for a full tax credit.

www.arenaev.com

Dodge unveils Charger Daytona EV pricing: starting from $59,595

The high-end version is supposedly the "fastest muscle car" on the market.
www.arenaev.com www.arenaev.com

media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Stellantis Media - Dodge Brand Announces Official Pricing for All-new 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

Dodge Charger Daytona two-door to launch with two high-performance models. 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T will launch with standard factory-installed Direct Connection Stage 1 Upgrade at a starting U.S. MSRP of $59,595. Inaugural-year Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack two-door includes Track...
media.stellantisnorthamerica.com media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
 
Dodge Charger Daytona orders are now live with exclusive perks

Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona EV back in March, and then revealed its pricing in August. Now, it's time for the next step in the saga of electrifying one of America's best known and most loved muscle cars.

The order books are open. If you place an order before the end of October, you will get an exclusive First Call package which includes two-day performance driving at Radford Racing School in Chandler, Arizona, a welcome kit (including an official letter of authenticity and Dodge-branded leather gloves), and exclusive VIP concierge service. Additionally, all 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona models include a choice of an at-home Level 2 charging station or $600 charging credits for Free2move Charge.

www.arenaev.com

Dodge Charger Daytona orders are now live with exclusive perks

Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter.
www.arenaev.com www.arenaev.com

 
The first electric Dodge Charger customers will be given two days of performance driver training

Early Charger Daytona customers will get bonus goodies, including Dodge-branded leather driving gloves

Orders have now officially opened for the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona. Yep, we’ve arrived in a whole new world of muscle cars, folks.

And we have good news for those of you who are keen to enter that era as soon as possible, because the first customers will be given a bunch of goodies to sweeten the deal.

Yep, anyone who specs and orders a Charger Daytona R/T or Charger Daytona Scat Pack before 31 October this year will receive two days of performance driver training in the new Charger at the Radford Racing School in Chandler, Arizona.

Probably wise given that the range-topping Scat Pack has 661bhp and 627lb ft of torque.

 
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