When we last visited the Hurst facility in Irvine, CA, we noticed something unusual. While nearly all of the Challengers were painted in either white or black, a lone Challenger painted in B5 Blue sat tucked away in a corner. When we inquired about the car, we were told that we would find out soon enough. Well, we know now, as Hurst has just unveiled a Competition/Plus package for the Dodge Challenger at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.

The Competition/Plus project was started in an effort to provide a more affordable package, as well as appeal to customers who might not necessarily want the classic gold paint schemes. Named after the legendary shifter that helped make Hurst famous, the package includes only the essentials: an Eibach suspension system, Magnaflow exhaust system, Hurst 20-inch alloy wheels, color-matched leather inserts and stitching for the interior, matte black exterior accents, and, of course, a Competition/Plus short throw shifter with the classic white ball. We're told the package is available on any color of Challenger, whether it's the B5 Blue pictured here, Hemi Orange, TorRed or any other.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but full details on the car should be released soon. Until then, take a look at our exclusive gallery of photographs that were given the chance to snap a couple of days before the car's release.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

At SEMA last year, the legendary shifter company Hurst made huge waves with its Hemi Challenger. We've been following Hurst's progress of the cars ever since, and even got the chance to get behind the wheel of the prototype car for a brief stint. We recently made the trip down to Hurst Performance Vehicles' headquarters in Irvine, CA to see just how stock Challengers are transformed into one of their limited edition muscle cars.

You might think that Hurst would be hard pressed to find customers in today's economy, but we were surprised to see their building overflowing with Challengers. There were completely stock cars that had just been delivered, cars getting superchargers and suspension upgrades, and plenty of complete cars waiting to be delivered to their lucky new owners.

Hurst was kind enough to give us a full tour of the facility, and showed us exactly what goes into making one of their Challengers, whether it's a base Series 2 model or a full blown Series 5 with all the bells and whistles. Follow us on our tour in the gallery below, which includes high-res photographs and detailed descriptions that follow a Hurst Challenger from start to finish.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Whether or not you're a fan of NASCAR, the simple fact remains that none of the cars bear much resemblance to their factory counterparts, and it's not like the "Fusions" and "Chargers" are particularly sexy, either. So in an attempt to boost the series' viewers and souvenir sales, Fox Sports is reporting that Ford and Chrysler plan to introduce Mustang- and Challenger -bodied racers into the Nationwide series next year.

The new designs are due to be submitted for approval on June 26, and the 2010 NASCAR competitors are reportedly going to be visually closer to stock than anything we've seen since the new "aero-matched" cars began rolling out earlier this decade. Unfortunately, the new Mustang and Challenger cars will still be far removed from their stock siblings, and General Motors has apparently decided not to join its domestic rivals and produce a Camaro shell. Both GM and Toyota will reportedly run their current Impala and Camry bodies, respectively.

[Source: Fox Sports via Cars]

We're all about the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, but they need some help in the form of new recruits, and that's where good old fashioned recruiting comes in. But it's not like the old days where a couple of uniformed officers attend a job fair in your high school gymnasium. These days, the U.S. Air Force is using a pair of radically customized pony cars to get your attention. Mission accomplished.

Built in conjunction with Galpin Auto Sports (who else?), the Mustang X-1 and Challenger Vapor land like a bomb when they hit your retinas. The X1 features a full jet cockpit with a single ejector seat placed centrally. The body has been widened at all four corners – the rear by six inches on both sides – to accommodate the largest tires you can buy today. There's a custom onboard A/C unit behind the single seat that's fed by twin NACA ducts where the rear side windows would go, and shifting the 500-hp, nitro-fed V8 comes courtesy of, what else, an actual flight stick.

The Challenger Vapor, meanwhile, is so stealth it could sneak up on KITT and make him pee his oil pan. It features an infrared thermal imaging camera combined with a true heads-up display that spans the entire windshield, solid carbon fiber disc wheels, the ability to operate with two mufflers for extra stealth and a command center cockpit with three large LCD screens.

You're going to want to explore every inch of these two cars, so check out the galleries below and follow the jump for videos of the build and finished products.




[Source: U.S. Air Force]

Consumer Reports has never compared the predicted reliability of a Ferrari versus a Lamborghini. Rather, these guys and gals are famous for testing the vehicles we actually buy: econoboxes, mid-size sedans, CUVs and the like. They're the NPR of the auto reviewing world, except they're really not. We know the people at CR's automotive department, and they're true car fans. That fact is on display in this video, which previews the mag's upcoming triple comparo of the Ford Mustang GT, Chevy Camaro SS and Dodge Challenger R/T. While CR usually buys all of the vehicles that get reviewed in its pages, the team is still shopping for a Mustang and Camaro and so had to borrow examples for this video. We hope they gave the owners some money for new tires, because most of that rubber went up in smoke during filming. Follow the jump to watch the CR crew kick off their loafers and get crazy.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

The Challenger SRT8 marked the official return last year of the musclecar to the Dodge lineup, and its retro styling, 425-horsepower V8 and tire-shredding capabilities had Mopar enthusiasts giddy with excitement. What, you say, could be much better? Enter Classic Design Concepts. The Novi, Michigan-based company has been adding its visual touch to cars since 1990, and recently tried its hand at Dodge's new musclecar. The result? The Group 2 Widebody Challenger that made its debut at SEMA in 2008. We were instantly smitten with the car's aggressive appearance on the show floor, and were determined to get a closer look if we ever had the chance. Jumping forward a couple of months, we recently learned that the car would be out in Southern California for a Mopar gathering. A phone call to CDC later and we were fortunate enough to land an afternoon behind the wheel of this 575-horsepower bona fide modern musclecar.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc

Attention ponycar people: the V6-powered Challenger SE is now available with a pretty slick new dress-up package. The Challenger SE Rallye takes the base car and adds stripes, an R/T-style chrome fuel door, black-accented 18-inch wheels, and a rear decklid spoiler. The Rallye also introduces the 5-speed AutoStick to the six-cylinder Challengers. The 4-speed slushbox is history, and the 5-speed is reportedly geared for more energetic launches. Think of it as a package akin to the killer-looking R/T Classic, only for the entry-level car. Starting price, according to the Pentastar, is $26,490 and it can be ordered immediately. Ridiculously long PR follows the jump.

UPDATE: We did post on the Challenger SE Rallye earlier today, but the focus of that post was mainly the addition of the 5-speed AutoStick, nor did we have the full gallery of high-res images or official press release at that this post contains.

Gallery: 2009 Dodge Challenger SE Rallye

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[Source: Chrysler]

Dodge long ago confirmed that a convertible version of the Challenger was not going to happen, blaming the extreme degree to which the chassis would need stiffening if the roof were removed. Then what did members of the Michigan F-Body Association forum spot riding on a trailer around Auburn Hills, MI, home of Chrysler's headquarters? The pics don't lie, and they're telling us that Dodge did produce at least one Challenger Convertible in Lime Green that never saw the light of day. Numerous tuners have created convertible versions of the Challenger already, many of which debuted at last year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, but an official version was never shown by Dodge. This one, which appears to be a concept rather than a preproduction vehicle, has been defaced with the word "SCRAP" spray-painted on its bumper and fenders. It's a sorry sight to see for any Challenger fanboy. By now, the Challenger Convertible has likely reached its destination and could be a cube of Lime Green scrap metal. Hopefully that's not the case and this car will wind up being the barn find of the century in 50 years.

UPDATE: CarDomain is reporting that Mopar Performance has intervened to save the Challenger Convertible from being scrapped and will "mod the hell out of it."



[Source: Michigan F-Body Association via Jalopnik]

Along with Barack Obama, the Cubs, Al Capone and the Sears Tower, Chicago is home to the world's most famous Mopar dealer, Mr. Norm's legendary Grand Spaulding Dodge. While Mr. Norm sold the dealership in the late 1970's, the Mopar Hall of Famer has recently made a resurgence, officially introducing the 1968 Dodge GSS Hemi Dart last year in Chicago as well as the Super Cuda and Challenger at SEMA just a few months ago. The Challenger is making an appearance here in Chicago as well, with a slick new two-tone paint scheme and 900 supercharged horsepower underneath the hood. Other features include a carbon fiber front and rear spoiler, Katzkin leather interior, SSBC eight-piston front brakes, and a Hurst pistol grip shifter. Like the Hurst and its HEMI Challenger, Mr. Norm is selling a production version of the car with a a variety of styling options and performance levels ranging from 600 to 900 horsepower.


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

If you liked that Dodge Challenger R/T Classic package we profiled earlier this week from the Detroit Auto Show, you can now go place an order for one of your very own. In addition to the model-specific wheels and spiffy retro badging and stripes, Challengers with the R/T Classic package also feature functional hood scoops to help out with engine cooling. We recommend opting for the 6-speed manual, which also nets you the Track Pack, a few extra horses, and a 3.92 rear.

Only three Six colors are available, including HEMI Orange, TorRed, and the killer-looking B5 Blue (which, until now, had only been offered on that special Richard Petty auction car). Get that and you have yourself one extremely bitchin' muscle cruiser. Don't believe us? Look here. Oh, when you go to the dealer, prepare to part with something in the neighborhood of $34,005 before options.

We'd hoped to add some sweet new PR shots of the R/T Classic to our existing gallery, but Chrysler simply faked it this time, shooting the orange car on the floor of the Detroit show and then adding a pair of Photoshopped backgrounds. Photo shoots are expensive, you know.


Live photos copyright ©2009 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Chrysler]