Click either image for exclusive pics of Inside Line's road trip
Seems like you can't revive a modern day muscle car these days without having a classic movie tie-in. The Ford Mustang has got Steve McQueen's classic Bullitt, and the Dodge Challenger has got Vanishing Point. In fact, we've already seen one Vanishing Point-inspired Challenger meet its maker on Turn 2 at Road America. Inside Line recently had its first turn behind the wheel of a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and also decided to pay its respects to Kowalski's opus. They took the brand new Challenger on a little road trip following the fateful path of Kowalski in the movie from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, California. Just for kicks, they brought along a vintage 1970 Dodge Challenger that's a near perfect copy of the one used in Vanishing Point. The classic iron was, however, packing a slightly modified motor putting out 607 horsepower, but details, details... The article is definitely worth a read if only to vicariously absorb what it feels like to go 170 mph in a new Challenger, and the Inside Line team was also kind enough to supply us with a few of their spare high-res images for an Autoblog exclusive gallery below. 
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
sik59rt @ May 6th 2008 8:07PM
yeah but were they hopped up on speed like Kowalski?
FAIL
Aki @ May 6th 2008 8:44PM
Man the original looks so much better.
CarbonBlack @ May 6th 2008 9:30PM
I know what you are getting at,
But I tend to think both are well designed, great looking and game changers of their generation
Eddie @ May 6th 2008 8:46PM
Wow their '70 charger is butt ugly.
Chad @ May 6th 2008 9:16PM
Ah Challenger dude.
Russell @ May 6th 2008 9:23PM
Chrysler = crap
CarbonBlack @ May 6th 2008 9:28PM
New Chrysler = Crap
Old Chrysler = Decent Vehicles
Chad @ May 6th 2008 9:17PM
That last picture is awesome.
DS @ May 6th 2008 9:48PM
Umm... what's with the Tundra in the 6th pic (i think anyway that its the 6th) shouldn't they have a ram out there?
StickShift @ May 7th 2008 12:33PM
I'm pretty sure thats in the Edmunds Long Term test fleet. I'm sure if they had a Ram available, they would have brought it along.
Chris @ May 7th 2008 12:14AM
Yes, because a Ram has more to do with a Challenger comparison than a Tundra.
Get over it.
PJ @ May 6th 2008 10:28PM
Edmunds' article seems awfully complimentary of the 1970 car, as anyone who's experienced vintage Mopar power steering, build quality, and trim fit can attest.
It also harps pretty hard on the "good ol' days" angle, considering that the featured '70 Challenger has been restored and upgraded with modern (better) engine and suspension parts.
Still, fun reading. Love the embedded Vanishing Point clips.
mroverlord @ May 6th 2008 10:36PM
For being "crap" as you say, the new Challengers are getting very good reviews by the car mags.
I really like the new Challenger, although I will admit it's a very big car, by comparison.
inteller @ May 6th 2008 10:51PM
wow, you know your vehicle sucks when all you have is a crappy movie Vanishing Point to keep plugging. At least the Mustang has Bullitt.
gschon @ May 7th 2008 7:50PM
And your point is?? Does Steve Mcqueen wearing a turtle neck and driving a Mustang make the current Mustang a better car?
Get out and Push @ May 7th 2008 12:05AM
Best part about the original Vanishing Point Challenger: Pistol Grip Shifter.
Todd @ May 7th 2008 1:46AM
And available from the beginning with a third pedal instead of two pedals only.
Winner=Manual transmission Challenger.
AutoBlogger @ May 7th 2008 2:17AM
I'm sorry, the new model is nice and all but it's no where near as badass as the original.
Driving them side by side let alone parking them on the same street just reinforces this fact.
IMO if you want to revamp a classic in order to cash in on its history, skip the revamp, focus on updating the technology under the hood instead of making it a new, flashier, rounder, fatter, and in all honesty uglier family car and give the people what they really want, a Classic.
mdandria @ May 7th 2008 3:28AM
If anyone made it to the Knott's Berry Farm Ford show the other week, there was a silver Challenger SRT8 in the parking lot. I know, that's an odd place for a Dodge to be, but a lot of people noticed it. I was surprised, but I really liked it. Worth checking out in person if you haven't already. Btw, if you haven't seen the Challenger promo videos, you should check these out: http://www.motorator.com/videos/12
http://www.motorator.com/videos/13
TriShield @ May 7th 2008 11:07AM
It's not a comparison article, it's Edmunds editors driving the Vanishing Point route in new and old Challengers and writing about it.
Auto Traveler also did the same thing with an original and the new Challenger as well except it's a much longer, more interesting and better read. The new Challenger also averaged 21.5MPG on their 3,000 mile trip.