Spy Shots: Viper SRT10-powered Dodge Challenger caught in public

We had nearly forgotten about the Dodge Challenger SRT10. It's not that we don't love the idea of forcing the 8.4-liter V10 from the mighty Dodge Viper into the nose of Chrysler's muscle car, it's just that cars built for SEMA typically have a shelf life shorter than an unpeeled banana. So it came as some surprise when our keen-eyed spy shooters happened to spot the roided-out 600-horsepower Challenger cruising around public streets.

For whatever reason, the car had been let loose from the company test center, and was spotted doing ridiculously pedestrian things like parking in lots and obeying traffic laws. You know, instead of leading high-speed pursuits from one gas station to the next or making entire warehouses of tires weep for their tortured brethren.

As much as we'd love to stroke your crazed dreams of a production Challenger SRT10, the truth probably has more to do with the fact that some lucky soul managed to sneak the car past the suits at HQ for a quick run around town. Still, with the Viper singing its swan song and a few shelves of V10s lying around and looking forlorn, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine a limited production run of the Challenger SRT10 that would send both the Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 into fear-induced convulsions. Hey, it doesn't cost us anything to dream.