The annual Detroit Auto Show serves as a platform for American automobile manufacturers, specifically, to flex their muscles, so-to-speak — and this year the Chrysler Corporation did just that. Dodge unveiled three models of the Challenger that will be available in 2009: the SE (3.5 liter V6, 250 hp), the R/T (5.7 liter HEMI V8, 370 hp) and the SRT8 (6.1 liter HEMI V8, 425 hp).
Originally hitting the streets in 1970 at the dawning of a new generation of design in automobile manufacturing, the Challenger was one of the original American muscle cars (along with the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro). Power and steel were king, gritty, dirt solid performance ruled over clear smooth edges and lavish aesthetics. The auto industry in Detroit was destined to enter its glory days.
Now, almost 40 years later, the auto industry, especially in Detroit is facing more than a handful of obstacles — including attempting to recover from an arguably failed race to build the largest petrol-guzzling trucks on the market. Compact and fuel-efficient has been all the latest rage — but what about performance? Based on the model chosen, Dodge almost guarantees blood-pumping sensation. The SE model doesn’t come with racing stripes and spoilers like its two bigger brothers, and the less sporty version only has a single exhaust pipe in the rear, rather than duel pipes on the more powerful models.
Dodge believes a retro-styled coupe can deliver exactly what auto enthusiasts are seeking in the three Challenger models: a varying array of performance options and features including voice-activated MyGIG Multimedia and UConnect systems, Remote Start with Keyless Go and five-speed manual models get the Hill Start Assist. Time to kick up some dirt — driving’s about to get messy again! By Andrew J Wiener
Recent posts
-
February 4, 2023
Into The Forest II – Jan Lenhardt
German-based photographer Jan Lenhardt often seeks nature as the subject of his work. In this piece, we’re again plunged into the depths of the forest,...
-
January 24, 2023
Modernized Georgian Colonial Farmhouse, East Hampton, Long Island – New York
When Jordan Carlyle and Mario Margelist tired of constant commuting – Marglist commuted from Switzerland to New York – and the hectic life of New...
-
December 7, 2022
Sculptural Water Slides by Splinterworks, Bath, UK
Water slides have finally grown up. Bath, United Kingdom-based Splinterworks is creating stunning grown-up water slides that resemble outdoor sculpture more than they resemble traditional...
-
November 24, 2022
Bass Coast Farmhouse, Victoria, Australia
The form is indisputably farm-like. So, do we care that the house is not on a farm, neither are the owners farmers? No we don’t,...
-
November 23, 2022
Aesthé, Marais, Paris, France
Aesthe is a Parisian aesthetic medical centre that is minimalist to the extreme yet it also exudes warm and inviting elegance. It is a fully...
-
November 23, 2022
Parrilla House, Armadale, Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne-based architecture firm Powell & Glenn has designed a stunning home for a couple and their three children with outdoor-living as one of the key...
-
November 21, 2022
Moos Bar & Café, Spaarndammerbuurt, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
With designers and architects tripping over themselves to interpret the latest, popular trends – often at the urging of their clients – it is easy...
-
November 14, 2022
Yuputira, Mariko Mori Residence, Miyako Island, Japan
Japanese multidisciplinary artist Mariko Mori (b. 1967) reminds us in many ways of another Japanese female multidisciplinary artist, the 93-year-old Yayoi Kusama. Both are eccentric...
-
November 2, 2022
Bermagui Beach House, New South Wales, Australia
There are places for which the only suitable description is “a place to breathe.” Over the years, we have featured quite a few of these...
-
October 25, 2022
Cases de Son Serra, Bunyola, Mallorca, Spain
Serendipity, good luck and a great deal of trust and courage were all needed to make this elegant restoration of a century-old traditional Mallorcan possessió or...
-
October 23, 2022
Jake Arnold Restoration Of A 1951 House, Beverly Hills, California, USA
It is not news to The Cool Hunter readers that we value tasteful restorations. We believe that new and flashy and complicated is easy. Restored...
-
October 6, 2022
Stone Soul House, Melbourne, Australia
Husband and wife, Kathryn Robson and Chris Rak, founders of the Melbourne-based Robson Rak architecture and interior design practice, have recently completed their most demanding...