. Nearly 35 Years Later, Dodge Challenger Returns as the
Ultimate Modern American Muscle Coupe
Chrysler Group
President and CEO Tom LaSorda today announced that Dodge Challenger
will return to production after a nearly 35-year hiatus. The all-new
Dodge Challenger will debut as a 2008 model in calendar-year 2008.
Giving the green flag to signal the announcement
are Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group President and CEO; Kasey Kahne,
driver of the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger in NASCAR Nextel
Cup competiton; NASCAR legend Richard Petty; and Chrysler Group
Chief Operating Officer Eric Ridenour. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty
Images for NASCAR)
The announcement
was made shortly before the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race at Daytona
International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Driving out
with the Dodge Challenger was Chrysler Group Chief Operating
Officer Eric Ridenour.
"We haven’t
seen this kind of spontaneous, passionate response to a
car since we unveiled the Dodge Viper concept in 1989,”
said LaSorda. “But it’s easy to see what people like about
the Dodge Challenger. It’s bold, powerful and capable. It’s
a modern take on one of the most iconic muscle cars, and
sets a new standard for pure ‘pony car’ performance.”
.
.
The Dodge Challenger
will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door
coupe body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of the
1970s.
“We drew on the
rich heritage of the Dodge Challenger, but with contemporary forms
and technologies,” said Ridenour. “It’s not just a re-creation;
it’s a reinterpretation.”
Dodge’s “Pony Car”
in the 1970s The Dodge Challenger made its debut in the fall of
1969 as a 1970 model.
While it shared the “E-body”
platform with the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger’s wheelbase was two
inches longer, creating more interior space.
The Dodge Challenger was
originally offered as either a two-door hardtop or convertible. And, befitting
the brand’s performance heritage, the Dodge Challenger also went racing
in its first year, competing most notably in the Sports Car Club of America
(SCCA) Trans-Am series and National Hot Rod Association’s Pro Stock class.
Although it was produced
only from 1970 to 1974, the Dodge Challenger earned a reputation as one
of the most desirable of the original “pony cars,” with meticulously restored
and rare examples today selling for six-figure prices.
In its first year, Dodge
Challenger was offered in a limited-edition T/A model to meet homologation
requirements for SCCA Trans-Am racing. In 1971, a Dodge Challenger paced
the Indianapolis 500 race. New front-end styling in 1972 featured a larger,
“egg-crate” grille. In April 1974, Challenger production ceased. Over a
five-year span, approximately 188,600 Dodge Challengers were sold.
The Dodge Challenger is
another chapter in Chrysler Group’s long history of bringing concepts quickly
to production, including the Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Chrysler PT
Cruiser and Jeep® Compass.
