Test Video: NASCAR Drivers Dance With the Dodge Challenger Mule
Feb 20, 2008 at 3:06PMThis video shows some of our favs on the NASCAR circuit (Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Bobby Labonte) taking a peek at the Dodge Challenger concept along with some footage from the road as they drive a Challenger dressed as a Charger in some pretty decent driving action. Enjoy…
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23 Comments
Dodge the word is the 09 models start production april 14th .
Still no info at dealerships to event order one wtf?
This is one of the hottest car out of detroit in 35 years..
Yeah, I agree on the price, the challenger srt8 is too expensive for me. I’m hoping the r/t version will be more reasonable, cause my wife really wants one.
If the price is still too steep, she says she’ll take a mustang. If nothing else, it’ll be cool just to see them driving around on the road. It’s been fun watching all the new/retro mustangs cruise around.
Nice to see something that doesn’t look like a flying saucer for a change.
I persoanlly will probably never get another new car, because this will more than liekly be the end of line for the charger nameplate. Either that, or by the time it gets “restyled”, I’ll be too old to drive it the way it should be driven.
I really like the way it looks in the blue that they used for the charity auction. I hope a similar blue will be available on later models.
Sorry if i hurt your feelings man.
I said for both of you that is BOTH OF you so why are you taking my post personal.
You guys are mucking up the blog bickering like and i said “like little girls” i know your not a little girl but BOTH of you are acting like it. Sorry.
Yeah the GTO doesn’t look as tuff as the challenger agree’d.
But the GTO was always a standard car with a monster under the hood. It was never ever designed to be a really good looker. Until maybe THE JUDGE. So whatever to that remark.
And if your talking about the LS2 with 400 ponies that was available in 2005 one year after it’s release. Remember when the C6 vette’ came out.
And they don’t make the GTO anymore but you can find an LS2 for around 20k and im sorry i love the “LOOK” of the challenger but I LOVE PERFORMANCE FIRST. And that GTO will take and SRT Challenger.
I KNOW IT HURTS TO READ THE TRUTH, IT HURT WHEN I FOUND THAT OUT TOO.
I LOVE MOPAR TOO MAN. I HAVE A HEMI IN MY RAM SINGLE CAB 4X4. I LOVE MY TRUCK. BUT MY NEXT VEHICLE WILL BE FAST.
AND THAT DOESN’T MEAN EXPENSIVE. SO IM WAITING A COUPLE OF YEARS TILL I BUY MY NEXT CAR. HOPING THAT THE CHALLENGER COMES BACK TO REALITY. UNDERSTAND.
ha man that GTO will take a C5 vette’ dude.
Now think if some 23 or 24 year old guy supercharged his GTO. How would you feel about that?? IM WAITING im planning on smokeing anything. Peace….
P.S.: If I was an owner of an original GTO, I would be almost as mad as I am as an owner of an original charger.
Only recently has it been given an engine worth the name GTO. Beyond that it’s ugly, and looks nothing like any GTO I remember (but hey I could be wrong, I’m not as familiar with them as I am with the charger).
How about that special t.v. show they did to introduce the car? Remember that, where they drove (hopefully not a real original) GTO off a cliff just before the new one drives up. Nothing like blowing up the old car to promote the new one! (cringe, as the fireball erupts into the air and a rental car looking thing pulls up to the scene)
And people like you are exactly why I contineud to post, defending myself, and will anytime I’m attacked.
My posts, other than those on this thread defending myself, have never been directed at anyone other than Dodge.
People like you make it a perosnal hateful thing. People like shouldn’t be allowed to post.
I did nothing wrong, and did nothing TO ANYONE ELSE ON THIS THREAD OR THIS BLOG!
I won’t stoop to your words, but I’ll just no, YOU need to be quiet.
Neither of us had posted in several days, but someone had to be a troll and be hateful.
Funny you use the word peace at the end of a very hateful, un-peaceful post.
shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR GODS SAKE THIS IS THE REASON I DON’T POST ANYMORE.
SHUT UP!!!!!
BOTH OF YOU.
Let’s talk about how the GTO RUNS A 4.6 0-60 DEAD STOCK LS2.
HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL??? Peace….
GUY YOUR ASOME I HOPE YOU DO THE SAME THING WITH THE PLYMOUNTH DUSTER 340 1970 BELAVEME I KNOW YOU ARE BRAKE THE RECORDS I GARANTEE THAT DO IT GUYS
Well, firstly, I was responding to the line “walk out of the stone age and join current society.” from you, when I mentioned my military service. As in, I am not only living in the current society, I am an integral part of it.
My first post on this thread was the first post, and so, when, 3 post down, someone posts a pretty hateful message about me and anyone else with a simialr opinion, then yeah, I take it eprsonally. That’s just the way I am. Sorry. I’m also stubborn, it’s a family trait I think.
Now,you say “This is a Challenger blog, not a “Slam the Charger” blog.”
Actually, it’s a Dodge blog, and they have posted many different stories about many differnt topics ranging from racing to gas prices to hybrid suv’s. So, some parts of this blog are relevant to the charger and many things other than the challenger.
It’s funny that you say “You don’t have to like, buy, or drive a current gen Charger. No one asked you to.”
I never said anyone was asking or forcing me to like or buy anything.
Noone is forcing you not to like or buy the new charger, either. As I said before, as a car, it’s probably pretty good. I’ve heard a few people I know talk about test driving them, they had only one bad thing to say, and that was they didn’t like the name. Heck, they’ll probably outrun my car. I’ll bet if they called it a coronet, we wouldn’t even be having these arguments, especially not several years after it came out.
As far as I can tell, the first story was posted on Red Letter Dodge on August 22nd 2007, and it was about gas mileage.
On October 25th 2007, someone named Moparman (capital M) posts under story “challenger designers love blog readers. Not me.
November 15th 2007, Moparman (capital M) posts under “behind the scenes: 2008 challenger meets california focus groups”. Again, not me.
Novemebr 20th 2007, I posted under the story “it’s poll time “enough about us…what are you putting in the challenger?” What I wanted, and a harsh word towards the charger. Also ntoed that the new hemi isn’t truly hemispherical,a nd that I wanted a modern 440.
November 22nd 2007, I posted under the story “video: casiglione & barrington pt. 2″. I offered my gratitude to the designers, begged them to be invloved if the charger ever got redesigned, and offerd to buy them a dinner and or a drink if they are ever in my neighborhood.
November 22nd 2007, I posted under the story “calling all race fans:what do you want to see from us?”. My honest opinion, mild charger bashing.
November 22nd 2007, I posted under the story “poll time: what’s your favorite concept.” Talked about the 99 charger concept, mild charger bashing, and posted a link to “force performance”, a company that is/was building a 2-door coupe version of the new charger for the SEMA show.
November 28th 2007, I posted under the story “wheels in motion: Challenger coming…very soon”. I posted a link to autblog with soem challenger specs on it. Didn’t mention the charger at all!
November 30th 2007, I posted under the story “hot off the presses: 2008 dodge challenger pricing”. It was one sentence, a question, no charger bashing.
December 6th 2007, I posted under the story “update: buyres swarm dodge dealerships fro 2008 challenger srt8″. I asked if I’d missed something, and ask what spoiler we were talknin about. No mention of charger.
February 6th 2008, Moparman (capital M) posted under the stroy “official photos: 2008 dodge challenger srt8″. Again, not me.
February 9th 2008, I posted under the story “chicago wrap: thoughts on the dodge challenger debut”. I asked if anyone had noticed that the butterfly valves seem to be missing from the production version’s hood. One extremely nice, very limited reference to the charger.
That’s a whopping 8 total posts from the beginning of the web site, until I posted on this thread. Of those, only 5 had any mention of the charger, and only 4 were really bashing it in any way.
Of those 4, only 2 were stories that had any direct mention of the challenger in their title. One was about dodge racing, and another was about favorite concept cars.
Thus, I really think you are either gerenalising way too much, or you just haev me confused with soemone else or a whole group of someone elses.
On a side note, good job on your son going Airforce. I’ve been Army or Army Guard for the last 18 years, and when someone asks me, I tell them to join the Airforce! They always have better food, better living conditions, and nicer bases than us. I’m trying to talk my youngest son into the Airforce now. He’s 12 going on 40, and thinks he wants to be a Marine! What little hair I have left, I’ve been pulling out, hehe.
thank you, all veterans out there.
the reason for all the complaining is very simple.
dodge advertised this blog as questions and answers from dodge regarding the challenger.
they also requested input that they would use in shaping the car.
DODGE HAS DONE NEITHER.
how many unanswered posts were directed to rld?
for the record, i love the video, and i love the charger.
In fact I ordered the srt8 charger, only to cancel when word came out that the challenger would be produced.
I’m ecstatic that the challenger is being built! I’m even starting to like the interior (except the color, black would be my preference).
if dodge would just come out and say they are no longer taking input on the cars, and when we can expect delivery, the tone of this forum would improve greatly.
LETS TRY AGAIN!
RLD are you dead?
Are decisions still being made on the final design of this car?
when will the first cares roll out of brampton?
RLD RLD RLD = REALLY LAZY DUDE
Thank you for your service to our country, moparman, and EVERYONE who serves in the military. My family is Army and Navy service repleat for many years.
My oldest son is currently in the AirForce (if that gives you a clue to my age - apparently well over 13), training for a career there. He’s in Lackland - SanAntonio, TX. Many of my friends are VietNam vets, as well as vets of Somolia, the Gulf War and Iraq. I don’t recall questioning your patriotism. And I don’t see how your service to the country should have anything to do with your personal opinions toward cars - any cars. Apples and oranges, my friend.
As far as your sex life, that IS your business. You seem to interpret metaphoric references as intended as literal. They’re not.
Regardless of who uses the ID, “moparman” (whoever you are here and now) has been posting on the RedLetterDodge blogs consistantly, and negatively. Don’t believe it? Go back through and look for yourself. Count ‘em yourself.
While you’re at it, see who complains the most (and usually posts most frequently) in these blogs. There’s a recurring theme if you hadn’t noticed. Same “ID’s” grumbling most of the time, thread after thread. It must make Dodge happy they created this opportunity for the sour pusses to get noticed.
This is a Challenger blog, not a “Slam the Charger” blog. You have a ‘69 that you bought via ebay - good for you! That must give you the right to bad mouth the current Charger…..or not? Do you own a current gen Charger? Know how they compare to other sedans? THAT’S MY POINT!
We’re here to get info about the Challenger, NOT berate the other models.
Maybe if you tried posting something positive about the Challenger, instead of falling back on what you believe is your inherant right to criticize “everything Dodge”, you wouldn’t feel like you’re backed into a corner and forced to defend yourself here.
I own an ‘06 Charger R/T. Excellent car. Stylish, fast, roomy, safe, and good on gas - especially for a 345 cu in V8 340HP HEMI. I owned a 69 Charger, 70 Satellite, 74 RoadRunner. I KNOW what those cars are about. That was then, this is now. I can seperate the musclecar era from the present without bashing any of them. They all have their place and appeal. Maybe my age has made me able to appreciate ALL of the cars MOPAR has made over the years on their own merits, whithou having to look at what they’re not.
Lighten up. You don’t have to like, buy, or drive a current gen Charger. No one asked you to. All I’m saying is knock off the 4-door anti bias and post something positive about the Challenger. Isn’t THAT what we’re here for??? I’m sick of hearing complaints about everything from the same people…..oops, sorry - people using the same ID’s - to slam someone or something in damned near every thread in these blogs.
Maybe Dodge can hold one person to an ID and there wouldn’t be all this misplaced blame for the negativity. Maybe it’s a conspiracy……who knows? And at this point, who cares? It’s old.
Well, you just proved my point. This is about cars, and your making it a personal attack on people becuase YOU think noone else has the right to an opinion.
My car is 39 years old.
I am 37 years old, born in late 1970. I started driving in 1985. I didn’t get my 69 charger until 3 years ago. Got through e-bay , of all places! I’ve wanted one all my life.
You say “so if you can’t grant someone a chance to throw back at you what you’re pitching everyday, too bad.”
Not only do I personally not post here or anywhere else “everyday”, but I have seen many websites where soemone else used the name moparman to post, including this site on different threads. These blogs don’t require a permanent logon. Anyone can use that name, or any other name.
As for you telling me to “walk out of the stone age and join current society.”, I’ll just say this, for the last 18 years, I have defending the current society’s freedom, and will again when I hit Iraq at the end of this year. That’s as far I’ll go with that or you’ll accuse me of using “the military card” (almost as bad as “the race card”, but not quite).
As for my sex life, as if it’s any of your business, it’s just fine. Been married happily for almost 19 years, and it’s never been boring! That’s longer than some people, possibly you, have been alive. I’ve come to expect those types of childish nonsense from posters like you. But because I expec tit doesn’t make it any more correct.
I know nothing about you, but the way you act on here, I’d guess your about 13 years old.
I don’t have to “forget” anything. It’s a free country.
You’ll note that my first post here was THE first post, and it was my opinion, directed to Dodge, not a childish attack on anyone, which is what both of your posts have been so far.
“You don’t have to like the Charger. No one asked you to.”
Well, you don’t have to like my opinion. No one asked YOU to.
People like me complaining about the charger is a major reason why the challenger looks so hot today. There were two other concept drawings, and they looked more like the “new charger” does. Dodge told the third designer that it was going with one of those two and not his. He pulled out a copy of a car magazine which detailed the charger complaints, and dodge decided on the retro looking challenger comcept instead.
Thank goodness. In my opinion of course.
P.S.: My 69 charger was going to be painted blue, but my father, an 80 year old WWII vet, passed away recently. Because of the age difference, the dukes of hazzard was one of the only t.v. shows we watched togeather. So now my car will become a general lee, with “dedicated to dad” airbrushed on the quaterpanels. Don’t worry, it’s not an original numbers matching car. I can’t afford one of those, they cost more than the Challnger SRT8!
Okay, moparman.
First, I made ONE reply to countless complaining posts that you and others have made, so if you can’t grant someone a chance to throw back at you what you’re pitching everyday, too bad.
Your 1969 Charger is FORTY YEARS OLD! If you want to relive your glory days, get some Viagara and have a ball! The new Charger is a different critter than
your classic. Appreciate both for what they are and stop the comparisons. If you named your son “moparman jr”, does that mean he has to be the clone of you? I pray not! Might be the same name, but you’d be different (and I don’t mean that in a PC way either).
If you can’t appreciate a MOPAR as a MOPAR because YOU classify them differently, then it’s time to walk out of the stone age and join current society.
You don’t have to like the Charger. No one asked you to. FORGET IT and thank Dodge for building the Challenger and stop the whining about the OTHER car. That’s a dead issue - stop beating that horse and start riding this one.
Bye bye now.
Sorry, in my previous post I said “nascar fans” when I meant to say “nascar drivers”.
First, if you actually read my post, you’ll note that I did not make a personalised attack on anyone.
Thus, mr HowSoonCanIGetMine can kiss my open minded, auto-paleontologist, Challenger fan, incessant, TIDY-WHITIE wearing, nursery dweller’s derriere!
“YOUR BELOVED CHALLENGER”
Actually, I never said it was my beloved challenger. I do like the way looks, but I own a 1969 dodge charger, and that is the car I wanted to look that way.
“I’m SO SICK of the incessant whining”
Funny, since my post and the other two that are of similar opinion are not even half as long as your ranting tirade agaisnt us.
Also, I appreciate what the footage is, I jsut don’t like the way it was done, because to the outside world looking in, such as photographers, news media, this was a bunch of nascar fans glorifying the “new charger”, which, even though it bothers you soo much, I will always dislike.
I could care less if everyhting under the skin was the same as the “new charger” (although what fun would that be), as long as it doesn’t look like one.
I’ve said it before,and I’ll keep saying it. It’s a free country. You want to be ahteful troll, go ahead, but at least get your story straight.
The “new charger” as a car is probably not bad, and I doubt anyone hates it for any other reason than the name. In fact, I have heard no other complaint about it, even among actual mopar fans.
By the way, I eprosnally do not use the term moapr to describe anything built after 1974. So, exactly what is a ” REAL MOPAR fan”?
One more point - I also agree that the video clip makes sense with the whole “secrecy” thing. The clip was shot in June07. You all remember back then don’t you? We couldn’t get a scrap of details about Challenger in June07. It’s understandable that the Charger body was used to “conceal” Challenger for testing purposes. The R&D process is long and involes many phases. This was just the engine/chassis test bed phase.
While I agree that the intial release design of Charger was a disappointment, I have learned to like the design for the market niche for which Chrysler was aiming. Now if we didn’t have Challenger to meet the customer needs of the retro/muscle enthusiasts, I would still be griping about Charger. But if you want a midsize sedan that you can take the whole family in, Charger is awesome. Park Charger beside a Malibu, Accord, Altima, Camry, etc. and they all look pathetic. Granny is driving a Camry. Charger looks tough even if it does have four doors. Chrysler took care of us - they gave us Challenger in response to all of the uprising over Charger - let it rest.
I have to agree with “HowSoon” that there is no point making this a whine about the Charger. This clip is about the Challenger, and the development that went into it. Whether you’re a big fan of the Charger or not (I tend to the “not” side but I still think it looks nicer than anything else Dodge currently offers except the Viper, and it’s a lot more practical/affordable than a Viper), taking the lessons learned from the Charger was a good move. Sure, developing the Challenger from the ground up, on its own unique platform would have been the best approach for the enthusiast (and it might have kept the weight lower), but it would have killed the car. Dodge didn’t have the $$$ and with the way things were going financially, using the LX platform was a smart decision: we have a NEW Challenger! So many things could have quashed this beauty before it was made it to market, but some hard working people pushed it through, and for that, true Mopar fans a grateful.
p.s. In a few years from now, when Congress kills the ‘muscle car’ again, and everyone is driving little plastic and tin hair dryers, all the whiners will surely miss the Charger too.
I 100%, totally agree with “whencanigetmine”. Spot on man! What these guys don\’t know is that, they disguised the charger so that could test it and nobody (press) would know the difference. Ever wonder why there were so few leaks? Camaro can\’t say that!
And he\’s also right with the footage itself. How awesome?? NASCAR drivers ripping around the track scaring the crap out of every day people like you and me. And…manual trans action, burn-outs, doughnuts, high-fives, etc., etc.
What else could you ask for?
In contrast to the comments of the “open minded people” here that can’t appreciate what’s being shown, I’ll say it’s nice to see some of the steps in the evolution of the Challenger. You don’t need to be an “auto-paleontologist” to appreciate what’s being shown. Too bad these “Challenger fans” don’t understand the value of the car’s platform origins, or acknowledge the success of it’s progenitor. They’re hung up on a stigma that a car with four doors should know it’s place and not be stylish, fast, sporty, handle well, and CERTAINLY NOT take a badge from a previous model that only had two doors. Such sacrilege! How dare the Charger call itself a Charger!
I’m SO SICK of the incessant whining. Get past it ladies! IT’S A CHARGER - SAME UNDERPINNINGS AS YOUR BELOVED CHALLENGER! THAT, IN ITSELF MUST MAKE THE NEW CHALLENGER INFERIOR! GOD FORBID!
IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE CHARGER WITH FOUR DOORS, DON’T BUY ONE!!! BUT ENOUGH WITH THE SLAMS. IT’S AN EXCELLENT CAR, WHETHER IT PUTS A KINK IN YOUR TIDY-WHITIES OR NOT! IT SELLS WELL, AND IT MEETS THE DEMANDS OF THE MARKET SEGMENT IT WAS TARGETING!
Now that I’ve wasted enough energy addressing the nursery dwellers,I like seeing the standard transmission being used. And I like the fact that the NASCAR guys were all smiles when putting the mules through their paces. The peeps riding with them looked a bit scared. LOL!
Thanks for putting it up for the REAL MOPAR fans to see. Nice to see developement vids that aren’t all “interviews” and conversation.
Now get some info out for us on the 2009 Challengers please!
THANKS!
WOW! You folks just do not get it do you? We have been telling you all along that we do not want the Challanger to look like a Charger at all Iside or Outside. So someone in marketing gets the bright idea to make it all better by showing a video of what is suppose to be a Challanger Chasis with GUESS WHAT? yep a Charger Body! Hello McFLY! If you want to know haw this makes us feel Go home tonight and tell your wife that “She looks and acts just like her mother”, don’t forget to add “only better!” If you have time before everything goes dark try to make a mental note of her reaction.
What a dumb thing to do. Why would you associate this car with that crap charger. You only make me want one less!!! Are the marketing people brain dead??
Sorry, I’d have to see it and touch it in person to believe that those were not just “new chargers” that they were driving, thrown in to confuse soem and piss off others (me).
Very ugly, any connection between the two cars needs to be played down in the advertising.
If I was one of theose guys I would have told you “no thanks, I’ll wait for one that looks right”
So, I hear you guys might be cutting some models that have similar twin cars, like 300/charger. Please tell me if it has to happen, that you’ll cut the charger, and never bring it back as antyhing other than a 2-door retro inspired muscle car!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed and my keyboard busy until then.
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