The cat is so out of the bag on this one and it has been ever since Dodge let its Challenger Concept get caught on film naked in the wild back in November. It’s now on the covers of at least three car mags already on the stands and it’s been judged, critiqued and evaluated exhaustively already.
And the damn thing hasn’t even debuted yet.
Well, the official unveiling will come soon enough, but we thought we’d gather our best pics of the Challenger Concept for you in a gallery after the jump. We'll of course have more live shots of the concept as well as detailed specs when it "officially" debuts at the Detroit auto show in a few days.
We have to believe that despite losing the element of surprise for the Challenger’s debut, Dodge has to be pleased with the buzz this car has generated so far.
Enjoy…
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 19)
2Suave @ Jan 4th 2006 5:27PM
Only reason for this thing is to sell to old folks trying to regain their youth. I'm one of those old folks, but don't see the appeal of such a relic at all.
Most old folks would hate getting in and out of it, too.
I remember the original Challenger as a decent, but not great car--same as the Mustang, for that matter.
For something old and inefficient, but brought to market for nostalgia reasons it's just OK. As a useful car it sucks IMO, and looks boring, too. Hell, why not bring back the '53 Studebaker coupe that really looked good during its time?
Austin @ Jul 20th 2007 10:32AM
Well in 1969 I was -11, as in I hadn't been born yet. However, I loved the classic cars and ended up rebuilding one myself. 69 mustang mach 1. Anyway, I really like the new styles that pay hommage to the classics. How could someone not like that much power on demand when desired and have decent mpg when it's not? I'm looking forward to the companies trying to top each other in this little competition...as long as it doesn't bring the let down of the later 70's and 80's again. 2Suave, reading your comment was like listening to someone complain about classic works of art. You apparently didn't get it then, and you don't get it now.
jim @ Aug 19th 2007 8:38PM
if dodge will make build the challenger so you can put 15'' wheels on them I think they will sale the hell out of them.you have to go a lot of changes on the new mustang to put 15'' wheels on them.l
KillerGreen @ Jan 4th 2006 6:55PM
Uhh, well i'm not old (only 20) and i think that car looks badass. Just cause you lived through the muscle car era doesn't mean it's useless to bring it back for those who didn't. It's meant to compete with the Mustang... and last time I checked, the majority of people driving Mustangs weren't old grouchy people like you.(2Suave) I for one can't wait to see the new Camaro and all the rest of the retro/muscle designs.
Michelle Foglio @ Jan 4th 2006 7:38PM
I would definatly buy one of these it reminds me of my 73 challenger i had when i was 18 now i am 33 it had a 440 and it was renagade orange i miss that car.So all i can say is AWSOME JOB FELLAS
va @ Aug 2nd 2007 12:29AM
Another girl who had a 73 dodge challenger? weird! What happened to yours? Too many of my high school classmates took mine to shop class. That sure was a fun car, huh?
mickster @ Jan 4th 2006 10:52PM
1. Daimler-Chrysler should resurrect the Plymouth name just so they can sell this as a 'Cuda, which is what it should be.
2. 1 Word: Convertible!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Z @ Jan 4th 2006 11:40PM
so am I the only one out there who thinks this is a completely uninspired and downright disappointing design? its like remaking king kong, whats the point, how about something original?
hopefully the retro inspired fog that has been hanging over the world's major design centers for the last decade will clear after 2006 (the new Beetle is responsible for all of this crap). it's the 21st century, auto designers should be pushing things forward, not vaguely redesigning classic cars with a slightly modern clean twist. lame.
Marcelo Sarabia @ Aug 24th 2007 3:53AM
The problem is that car manufacturers have produced such boring designs, that by default, the Challenger looks Great!
Joe @ Nov 2nd 2007 5:53PM
I bought a 74 Dodge Challenger, small engine, new. I've had it all these years. Let me be frank, I have had people wave to me while driving, in parking lots, at traffic lights, asking to buy it. They are serious. 33 years later, it's still awesome. It is more exciting now then then. And, in looks good in any color. I feel like I'm in my 20s again, and that bodes well for me. It's a great car and always has been. It should sell well, but I'm keeping my classic another 20 years.
Kris @ Dec 13th 2007 8:21PM
Actually you can go back further to that, to say cars I'm not positive but I believe the Ford Thunderbird was before the beetle, the PT Cruiser and HHR is a homage to cars from the '30s and '40s and you can even go back as '94-'96 when Chevrolet brought back the Impala SS based on the Chevrolet Caprice with the LT1 5.7 litre tuned port injection Corvette engine so cars have been leapfrogging this retro thing for quite some time, and I personally think these cars are incredible.
2Suave @ Jan 4th 2006 11:45PM
Well, KillerGreen, that's quite unkind calling me an old grouchy person. My actual photo is at the site below and you can see that I'm really quite cordial and cuddly:
http://xs62.xs.to/pics/06014/Grouch.jpg
Car-la @ Jan 5th 2006 7:09AM
I wasn't alive when the first Challenger hit the market, so my reason for liking it can't be that I want to relive my youth. But I think any muscle-car enthusiast should love this car. It looks brilliant.
But then I also liked the remake of King Kong, so I'm most likely a weird maniac anyway.
jacflash @ Jan 5th 2006 9:56AM
I don't believe for a minute that those Priddy pix were an accident... DCX pulled the wraps off early so that they wouldn't have to compete with Camaro for covers, plain and simple.
brit-in-usa @ Jan 5th 2006 3:31PM
As a ex brit now living in the USA and a naturalised american citizen i have a different view on car design and i must say that it looks great, its a true big powerful american car. It may not be original but compared to some original designs (pontiac aztek etc) thats not a bad thing .The original muscle cars are a dim memory from my childhood and to my eyes its one fine piece of automotive design and i cant wait to get one
But like others have said it shoud be a CUDA!!!
joseph melancon @ Jan 5th 2006 4:45PM
I think chrysler has come a long way in designing great dependable cars past to present.I would like to give chrsler credit on listing what the public said about the charger and their disappointments on their design for that car.It's not that the charger looks bad, it's just that it doesn't match the charger tradition.This challenger on the other hand does and I saw it and I would love to own one!I just hope it's affordable and comes with the chrysler incitives!!!
gregory La Vardera @ Jan 6th 2006 1:26PM
hohum
Suman M Subramanian @ Jan 6th 2006 2:50PM
I love the look of the Challenger concept, but I read on allpar.com that it's going to weigh 4,100 pounds - what the heck are they thinking??? Acceleration is supposedly 4.5 sec (0-60 mph) with the 6.1 liter Hemi, which certainly isn't bad, but just imagine how much better the acceleration, handling, and even fuel economy would be if it weighed closer to 3,500 or 3,000 pounds. Also, why is it even larger & wider than the original?? As I said, I like the look - I just wish they'd shrink it a bit.
Tom in Ohio @ Jan 8th 2006 9:10AM
This being a concept car will probably not look the way it is now. Why can't chrsler show a concept and keep it like that when producing for the public. I love the way this Challenger looks but in the long run how much is gonna change when it's produced.
This car is a teaser for now and a sweet tease it is.
curt @ Jan 8th 2006 9:27AM
is this going to be a true hard top and will it be priced where the average low wage earner can afford it