Just over two years after debuting as a concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, the Dodge Challenger is now ready to hit the streets for real. The Challenger is reviving a name last used in the late '70s and early '80s on a compact, four-cylinder Mitsubishi-built coupe. This time, though, Chrysler is going back to the roots of the brand with a big muscular rear-wheel-drive coupe, initially available exclusively with a 6.1L HEMI V8 that will power the new Challenger 60 mph in the low 5-second range, according to a very conservative Chrysler. It shares the automaker's LX platform with the Charger and Chrysler 300, and in final form, the car has changed remarkably little from the concept. The most noticeable differences are up front and include the loss of the cross-hair grille and a slim black air dam at the bottom of the bumper. Other changes are pretty subtle, such as some reshaping of the lower air intake.

Out back, the rear bumper is now more prominent and the detailing of the taillights has been revised. A flat black lip spoiler is now mounted on the trailing edge of the deck lid while the Challenger badges on the rear fenders have been dumped. The rear driver side fender now also features a prominent chrome fuel filler cap. The wheelbase of the LX platform has been shrunk from a gargantuan 120 inches for the sedans to a merely large 116 inches for the Challenger. That puts the span between the axles at 9 inches longer the Mustang, which aids interior volume.

OVERVIEW: The Ultimate Modern American Muscle Coupe

All-New 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8®

- Iconic Dodge muscle car returns after a 35-year absence
- Design stays true to Challenger heritage while delivering a host of modern amenities and "race inspired, street legal" SRT DNA
- Powered by a 6.1-liter HEMI® V-8 engine that produces 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque
- Each 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 features limited-edition, numbered dash plaque

The return of the iconic Dodge Challenger brings what pony car fanatics crave: ground shaking performance, unmistakable design cues reminiscent of the original Challenger, world-class ride and handling characteristics and benchmark braking. On top of that it features a wide variety of modern amenities and technology designed to delight a new generation of driving enthusiasts.

"The all-new Dodge Challenger SRT8 is engineered to give customers everything they want in a modern muscle machine," said Mike Accavitti, Director – Dodge Brand and SRT Global Marketing, Chrysler LLC. "The new version of Dodge's American classic boasts tire-smoking performance and head-turning design while offering a wide array of state-of-the-art technology, such as GPS navigation, 'Keyless Go' entry, a MyGIG™ infotainment system and UConnect hands-free communication."

Developed by Chrysler's in-house performance engineering organization, the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 was engineered with a focus on the five pillars of every SRT vehicle: bold exterior design that resonates with the brand image, a race-inspired interior, world-class ride and handling across a dynamic range, a standout powertrain and benchmark braking.

Dodge will offer the limited-edition 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in three colors: HEMI® Orange, Bright Silver Metallic and Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat. Each two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe will be produced with a numbered dash plaque, carbon fiberlike hood stripes and will be powered by SRT's 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 engine that boasts 425 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque.

With a U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $37,995 (including $675 destination), the all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 arrives in Dodge showrooms this spring.

The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 vehicles will be manufactured at Chrysler's Brampton, Ontario, Canada assembly plant.

Performance targets for the all-new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 include a 0–60 mph time in the low 5-second range, 0–100–0 mph in less than 17 seconds, a ¼-mile elapsed time of less than 14 seconds, 60–0 mph braking distance of approximately 100 feet, and a skid pad performance of 0.88 g.

Behind the Wheel of the Challenger SRT8 at Last

By Ken Field, Contributor Email
Date posted: 02-05-2008


You'd think that Texas in December would be a better place to stage the very first drive of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 than in Chrysler's home state of Michigan, right?

Yeah, we thought so, too.

But when we arrived at Texas Motorsport Ranch near Fort Worth, the track was shiny wet and the humidity was so high that fish could breathe it. Worse, the low cloud cover suggested the situation wasn't going to improve.

Perfect conditions for the 425-horsepower 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, you think?

Slick Handling
It lends another dimension of meaning to this car's name when you find yourself attempting to pilot a 425-hp, rear-drive coupe around a wet track you've only seen before in a video. Adding to the drama is the fact that TMR's full-length 3.1-mile track links new pavement with a well-polished racing surface that when wet has a coefficient of friction somewhere between that of frog slime and raw egg whites.

"Don't even think about switching off the ESP," advises Challenger Chief Engineer Herb Helbig as we change into our racing gear and helmet. Hey, we don't even know where the stability control switch is, and there certainly isn't time to look around much when you're desperately trying to remember where you should swap from a traditional racing line on the grippy new surface to a wet-style driving line for the slick stuff.

Besides, with 420 pound-feet of torque available from the 6.1-liter Hemi V8 that powers this 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, the ESP proved invaluable. Even squeezing the throttle as gently as possible off the turns would snap the Challenger's tail out before the electronic gremlins could chop the power delivery and start applying the brakes. But since the new pavement section turned out to be in pretty good shape, this bold new coupe could strut its stuff to much better effect on that half of the circuit.

Good Power, Needs More Transmission
Once there was some traction available, you could appreciate the V8's broad plateau of torque, the immediate and emphatic throttle response and the swelling rumble of an engine breathing through big-bore plumbing. Where there's grip, the Challenger lunges off the corners and swallows the straights, its sustained thrust complemented by long riffs of resonant mechanical music.

We would brake as delicately into corners as we could on the glistening surface, forced to use the same polished line on corner entry as everyone that had ever lapped the track, and then we'd tap the shifter for a downshift when it seemed safe to do so. Unfortunately we were rewarded by the scraping sound of rear wheels rotating a lot slower on the pavement than the fronts as the tranny dropped a lower ratio on them.

In dry conditions, there'd be no problem, but we'd still like to hear a throttle blip at every manually triggered downshift, both to quicken the shift itself and also to keep the rear wheels from dragging. It's not nice when the rear tires try to lead (rather than follow) you through a corner.

Shared Systems
Based as it is on the LX platform of the Dodge Charger, the Challenger's dynamic performance isn't altogether unexpected. As in the high-powered SRT8 version of the Charger, the Challenger benefits from the big Hemi, the W5A580 five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick manual override and the same suspension system. So it's a good and strong package, and we expect acceleration times similar to the Charger SRT8.

Think zero to 60 mph in the low 5-second range and a standing quarter in the mid-13s. A better measure of performance, according to chief engineer Helbig, is the 0-100-0-mph test, in which he predicts the Challenger SRT8 will run high 16s. Not bad for a 4,200-pound car.

While the suspension bushings are essentially carried over from the Charger, the specific tuning of the Challenger's chassis is softer. This is partly to accommodate the Challenger's 112-inch wheelbase, which is 4 inches shorter than the Charger. But it also has to do with the fact that Chrysler's product planners feel this car is likely to be bought by nostalgic baby boomers whose days of jowl-jiggling hot-rod rides are over.

Softer the ride may be, but uncontrolled it is not. There are monotube Bilstein shocks all around, and the antiroll bars have enough meat on them to quell any incipient floundering from the body. Actually, the slightly softer ride proves better for the wet driving conditions we experienced, giving you a pretty good idea of how much grip is available at the contact patches of these beefy 45-series Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-season tires on 20-inch wheels.

Braking News
The Brembo brake setup also is familiar from the Dodge Charger, but all Chrysler's Brembo systems have now been improved by utilizing an ABS-controlled wet-weather function that keeps the pads close to the rotor surfaces whenever the car corners at greater than 0.60g. Prior to this latest fix, all SRT8 models using similar brake components suffered from pad knock-back during hard cornering, resulting in long pedal travel just when you wanted it the least.

With the track surface as wet and slick as it is, good brake pedal feel and more than adequate braking power is all we can honestly report, but we fully expect that the Challenger's 14.2-inch front rotors and 13.9-inch rear rotors with four-piston calipers all around can get the job done, no questions asked. Though the Challenger has a retro look, its stopping and steering capabilities are right up to the minute.

Retro Looks, Modern Execution
So, in a way, is the look of the car. While its silhouette might hark back to the fondly remembered 1970-'74 Challenger of our memory, the execution is completely up to date. The body panels show a subtle fluency that stamping mills of the past couldn't manage. The incorporation of this car's bumpers into the body surface, suggesting competition practice from the SCCA Trans-Am in the bad old days of 1970, brings a postmodern tidiness to the look. You can also expect modern standards of structural stiffness from this reborn muscle car.

You can also expect contemporary aerodynamics. The Challenger wears a deftly tweaked front splitter and a tail-wing assembly designed to provide real aero effects. Check out the dive planes on the front fenders, designed to generate vortices down the side of the car that aid air extraction through the wheels, reducing flow separation and turbulence. It's evidence that the Dodge engineers spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel, and that the SRT guys also like to perform 150-mph lane-change tests. The result is a nostalgic design with leading-edge aero additions.

Muscle (Car) Memory
The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 resonates on many familiar neural pathways. Its shape and proportions are right on the money. The big driver door offers easy ingress (unless, like us, you're driving a development mule with a full roll cage). The seat height is at a respectable altitude, precluding that sideways limbo you have to use to get into many modern coupes; and the high beltline and cowl shared by all the LX-platform cars is entirely appropriate to the era being celebrated here.

Then there's the baritone grumble of the big V8 as it lights off. This sound speaks directly to those of us with the Y chromosome. There must be some genetic component that is passed unaltered from father to son that explains the identical emotional response in all of us to the inimitable sound of an awakening Hemi.

So Worth the Money
Dodge dealers have been taking orders for the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 since December, asking $37,995 per copy. There will be 6,400 made before the car is joined by other models in the Challenger range a year later. These will probably include variants all the way down to a 2.7-liter V6 version, with maybe even an all-wheel-drive model.

It is a complete reversal of procedure for Dodge to release the SRT version of the Challenger before friendlier versions that have a wider appeal, but for this skillful interpretation of an automotive icon, we can happily set protocol aside.

All 7,100 examples of the reborn Dodge Challenger produced for the 2008 model year will be equipped with the 6.1L Hemi V8 tuned by SRT coupled exclusively to a five-speed automatic. Those wanting their modern-day muscle car with a traditional manual transmission, complete with a clutch pedal in the footwell, will need to wait for 2009 Challengers, expected to ship before the year is out.

That manual, a six-speed unit, will be based on the current 600hp Viper’s Tremec 6060 transmission, ensuring enthusiasts it will be able to cope with the Challenger’s 435 horsepower and 420 lb-ft output, according to Automotive News. The 2009 Challenger line-up will see a new, more affordable model, powered by a 3.6L V6, to compete with offerings from the other domestic pony car makers.

Both the horsepower and V6 displacement numbers differ slightly from what Dodge released earlier, pegging the SRT8’s peak power at 425 and the V6 at 3.5L.

The first Challenger will roll of Chrysler’s Brampton, Ontario plant on April 14, according to a Canadian Auto Worker official who wishes to remain nameless, continues the report.