Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Dodge
Spy Shots: Production 2008 Dodge Challenger caught, too
by John Neff on Jan 10th 2008 at 2:57PM 
click above image for more spy shots of the production Dodge Challenger
Seems like one when modern day muscle car gets caught a spy photographer, they all get shot. We've already shown you new spy shots of the 2010 Ford Mustang GT today, and now we bring you two new shots (the first two in the gallery below) of the production Dodge Challenger that's been caught testing out in public. Dodge is saving the production Challenger's debut until February when it will be unveiled at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, but as we've seen from official teaser shots, don't expect a car much different than the Challenger with which we all fell in love. This test vehicle was reportedly sporting a HEMI V8, so it's probably an SRT8 model, the same kind that will go on sale this year before the rest of the Challenger line-up arrives next year.
[Source: Brenda Priddy & Co.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Brent 3:09PM (1/10/2008)
Sure looks good without the cross hairs.
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C.W. 8:51AM (1/11/2008)
you can slap a V8 on a piece of crap, but all you're going to have is a V8 powered piece of crap.
kudos to all who know the reference...
Jason 3:13PM (1/10/2008)
See all that road grime and body-corroding salt people who don't live in the north? That's why my good car is in the garage for the winter.
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MemphisNET 4:39PM (1/10/2008)
I keep mine inside in the winter as well. And more recently, in Alberta where they don't use salt!
I don't understand why people keep going on about the price when only the very top end model is 'expensive' - but totally in line with the rest of the SRT8 lineup.
I can't see them being more expensive than the Chargers - or a huge premium over them at the least.
Frylock350 3:19PM (1/10/2008)
This car is absolutely gorgeous, but too bad its horrifically overpriced. I wanted one as my fun car until I saw the $40k bill. Chevy will get a Camaro sale thanks to that.
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FireStorm 4:00PM (1/10/2008)
only the top end SRT8 is $40k.. the 5.7 hemi and the v6 version will certainly be cheaper.. comparable to a Charger of the same trim i would think
Quattrofan 3:35PM (1/10/2008)
I've been looking at this and new Camaro photos for last 2 years. By the time those things are on the showroom floor, they will surely appear to me as 2-3 year old cars. I guess that retro theme is not helping. What a tired POS design.
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Richard 4:20PM (1/10/2008)
I am with you...and it's the same with the Mustang, the refresh of which is being "Brenda Priddied" right now.
The question is, how do you refresh a retro design especially one that is 20 years (heck 40 years) old when it is launched.
I guarantee that if you look in the "future cars" pages of Popular Mechanics from 1968 you sure won't see something that looks like a Dodge Challenger...in line or paint scheme.
So, if you can't design, but want to be a designer in the industry just change your name to J. something and start ripping off the classics.
Richard 4:20PM (1/10/2008)
I am with you...and it's the same with the Mustang, the refresh of which is being "Brenda Priddied" right now.
The question is, how do you refresh a retro design especially one that is 20 years (heck 40 years) old when it is launched.
I guarantee that if you look in the "future cars" pages of Popular Mechanics from 1968 you sure won't see something that looks like a Dodge Challenger...in line or paint scheme.
So, if you can't design, but want to be a designer in the industry just change your name to J. something and start ripping off the classics.
Justin 6:52PM (1/10/2008)
Richard, you can easily evolve retro designs by simply... well, evolving them with sleeker looks, etc. Look at the camaro, its not just a copy of the original but "modernizes" it (especially in the front end lines). So you can just continue in that direction and voila. Same with mustang (more like gt500 front end, then like that italian concept car, etc). Challenger not so much but it could be done.
Justin 6:55PM (1/10/2008)
Richard its very easy to modernize and evolve a retro design. Look at the future camaro compared to the original and just continue in that direction. Same with mustang/gt500/italian concept car. I agree the challenger would be a little harder though.
FireStorm 4:03PM (1/10/2008)
people like you and me and the rest of the enthusiest community see it all the time yes (personally i dont think i could ever get tired of seeing it)
but the general public out there will most likely only remember from the Transformers movie if anything... most of the people out there dont go on the internet everyday and keep up with automotive news..
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FireStorm 4:03PM (1/10/2008)
people like you and me and the rest of the enthusiest community see it all the time yes (personally i dont think i could ever get tired of seeing it)
but the general public out there will most likely only remember from the Transformers movie if anything... most of the people out there dont go on the internet everyday and keep up with automotive news..
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psarhjinian 4:27PM (1/10/2008)
The mirrors! The horrible mirrors!!
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TriShield 5:21PM (1/10/2008)
Richard, this car isn't stale by any stretch of the imagination. It's shape is going to turn heads wherever it goes.
Cars like the Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, Mini, HUMMER, Fiat 500 and Jeep have timeless, signature looks. They cannot look like anything else.
The Jeep has been around since WWII with the same shape and it never ages. Like the Jeep none of these vehicles can look any other way and have classic good looks. Talented stylists can always keep vehicles like this new.
When I see Mustangs from the 80s and 90s they don't even look like Mustangs. The 2005 redersign corrected that, the car is unmistakably a Mustang now and shames the prior models. It's also going to be the same with the Camaro. The modern GTO was rejected because it looked nothing like the classic GTO. What would the point be in making a Challenger that looks nothing like a Challenger? There wouldn't be one.
Thank you Chrysler for resurrecting the Challenger and updating it's exceptional style for a whole new generation.
I'm hoping to see it in person next week when it's auctioned at Barrett-Jackson.
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MemphisNET 9:58PM (1/10/2008)
Agreed 100% (And we usually but-heads in opinion lol)
The modern GTO was a fun driving car, but it wasn't a GTO. It was a Midsize, RWD Cavelier. Very boring look, nothing on the inside was of any importance. I think it proved you can't just slap an old name on a 'new' mantra.
The new Challenger is perfect in every way in my eyes. There were 3 main designs for this car before they said yes to the current look. The other two were Euro-inspired sportscars - they almost didn't go with the now current design.
Could you imagine ANY muscle car as a lowslung exotic sports car? I can't. And I know many of you don't like 'Muscle' in general. But many of us can flip and say we have no interest in sport compact cars. Muscle cars are a way of life, and anything less than a retro design wouldn't fly off the shelves.
Are they at 10k pre-orders yet?
Michael 6:35PM (1/10/2008)
Man I wish the production version of this car would debut here in Detroit. I guess it's not ready though.
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Mi key 6:54PM (1/10/2008)
I'm assuming the reason they’re not revealing in Detroit is because it’s closer to the retail release date, because it just doesn't make sense to reveal in Chicago.
Oh Wait! There might be one reason.
GM???
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dakota 7:23PM (1/10/2008)
The wheels look smaller on this version for some reason. I'm betting it's a 5.7 R/T model.
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Guenther 9:33PM (1/10/2008)
More importantly, they're some normal all-seasons rather than useless (for our neighborhood in Jan.) SRT rubber. Development cars often play musical tires dependiong on what suits the needs and fancy of the person driving it.
I got passed by one this morning, but it was pretty dark.