11:33 AM
The Chevrolet Camaro is the official car of SEMA this year, but the Dodge Challenger isn't shrinking into the shadows.
Dodge plans to show three tricked-out versions of its modern pony car, and they're all pretty wild in their own way.
The headliner is the Challenger SRT10 concept, which takes the best parts of a Viper and stuffs them into a Challenger chassis. Drooling yet? You should be. The car gets the Viper's 8.4-liter all-aluminum V10 that pumps out 600 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque.
The concept's carbon-fiber hood is capped off by one of the most recognizable Chrysler design cues that is a not-so-subtle hint at its performance--a shaker hood scoop that looks like it was taken from a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.
The brakes are upgraded, and this pony-car-on-steroids gets Bilstein shocks for handling. It's topped off with a paint job that Dodge calls Tornado Red.
Nearly as cool is the Challenger Blacktop. This car started off as a regular 5.7-liter V8 Challenger R/T, and gets a smoky, mafia-style upgrade. The front gets a pronounced lower brow, and it rides on 22-inch Viper wheels (notice a theme here). A cat-back dual exhaust and cold-air intake help this monster breathe easy.
Handling is helped by a coil-over suspension and strut tower brace. Inside, there's leather seating and a Mopar audio system.
The third car has a competitive streak--the Challenger Targa. It, too, borrows from the Viper parts bin, grabbing the race suspension and brakes from the Viper ACR. The scooped hood teases the 560 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque that lurk beneath it from a 392 Hemi crate motor. It's mated to a Tremec six-speed gearbox, and the car gets Stop-Tech brakes.
The performance pedigree comes from the car's competing at the Targa Newfoundland race earlier this year. It's painted snakeskin green. Dodge calls this car "Samantha," and we'd sure like her number.
