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Driver's Notebook: Mopar Menace

Patrick C. Paternie

February 1, 2007

Concept cars are, by definition, built to tease. They flaunt themselves with avant-garde style and entice us with the thrill of overachieving mechanical specification, but their dirty little secret is that most can barely wobble onto an auto show stage without assistance. In other words, they are frequently all show and no go.

The Chrysler Group, however, sees concept cars as more than mere eye candy. Remember, these are the same people who set a precedent for turning outrageous show cars into outrageous showroom models à la the Dodge Viper and the Plymouth Prowler. True to their sensibilities, they invited us to an early test-drive of their latest show car: the very operational Dodge Challenger, finished in a retina-searing shade of Orange Pearl. (Click image to enlarge) 

Given that a prime source of inspiration for the new Challenger was the 1971 cult car movie Vanishing Point—costarring Barry Newman and a 1970 Dodge Challenger—the barren desert landscape surrounding the training and test facilities of the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department in California made a fitting locale for our drive.

It looks ready for the showroom, but the Challenger is far from production. Body panels, for instance, are carbon fiber, not steel. And the oversize (20-by-9-inch front and 21-by-10-inch rear) tires and wheels that contribute to a tough stance on an auto show’s revolving turntable also provide a tough ride on any imperfect surface. Likewise, the suspension is designed to absorb admiring glances instead of dips in the pavement. (Click image to enlarge)

We were not tempted to break the 35 mph speed limit imposed by the Dodge boys; the sound and feel of expensive rubber grinding against expensive carbon fiber when turning the steering wheel encouraged a modest pace out of mechanical sympathy. The rumbling 6.1-liter, 425 hp Hemi V-8 seems willing, although we never got the pistol grip shifter of the 6-speed manual transmission beyond second gear. I can, however, give high marks for the part of the muscle car experience that involves navigating the drive-through window lane. We also enjoyed the view over the air intakes of the long hood and the retro touches of the interior. Still, I found myself longing for the more roadworthy set of wheels and tires sitting in the transporter to discover if this new Dodge does more than merely evoke the styling of the muscle car era.

On hand for the demonstration drives were Mike Castiglione, the Challenger’s principal exterior designer, and Alan Barrington, who took charge of interior design. Both work at the Chrysler Group’s West Coast Pacifica Studio, and neither is old enough to have much firsthand experience of the original muscle car era. Barrington, however, drove a 5.0-liter Mustang in high school, and Castiglione has owned a 1970 Camaro RS since he was a teenager; he earns further muscle car cred for having rebuilt a 1967 Camaro RS that combines vintage looks with modern performance. He repeated the theme in his design for the new Dodge Challenger and beat out two other concepts that followed a more contemporary styling approach. (Click image to enlarge) 

Even if Castiglione’s age prevents him from qualifying as old school, his understanding of muscle cars proves he went to the right school. "I grew up in La Verne [Calif.]," he says, "where you could hear the drag races going on at Pomona during class at my high school. I’ve been going to Pomona since I was 11 or 12." Castiglione says he felt obligated to design a car that modern hot rod builders such as Troy Trepanier would appreciate as much as vintage Mopar enthusiasts would. 

Besides attending car shows and screening Vanishing Point, Castiglione and Barrington brought 1970 and 1973 Challengers into the studio. They particularly scrutinized features of the 1970 model because, Barrington says, "in our talks with people it was considered the most collectible." Critics say that the old and new Challengers are identical, but that just shows how well the new car has incorporated the unique features of the original into a fresh design. The new Challenger uses a shortened and widened 116-inch version of the Chrysler 300’s 120-inch platform. In overall terms, the Challenger concept is 6 inches longer, 2 inches wider, and 4 inches taller than its forebear. "The new car has a chunky body with a more modern look featuring shorter front and rear overhangs," says Castiglione. "The original has body sides that tuck in around the wheels." (Click image to enlarge)