The Dodge Challenger : The Revolution of Muscle and Racing

By: Craig McPherson

A 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, pitch black with bold red racing stripes (Credit : Exotic Motorsports of Oklahoma).

The pony car era was the period of time between 1965 and 1973 when affordable, yet stylish and sporty cars would first be made and become popular. This includes the likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. But around the middle of this period, one competitor would rise, and it would have a fairly unique story compared to these other examples. This competitor would be none other than the Dodge Challenger. This is the story of how the Dodge Challenger revolutionized the world of muscle and racing in the auto industry. 

In 1967, Chrysler had predicted that the sales of  “pony” cars would grow to 1.5 million by 1970. At this time, the company began work on a successor for their Plymouth Barracuda. It was meant to compete with the new Pontiac Firebird and Mercury Cougar. This successor, the original Challenger, was revealed to the world by 1970. While the Challenger heavily resembled the Barracuda, it was notably larger. It also had brand new features such as concealed windshield wipers, flush door handles, and molded polypropylene door panels. The original Dodge Challenger was also offered as a Road/Track, or R/T variant. The R/T had stiffer suspension, bigger brakes, and a more powerful engine. This engine was the legendary V-8 426 Hemi, with a staggering 425 horsepower. Initial sales were incredible, Dodge had sold nearly 80,000 Challengers. But sales would significantly fall after 1970, possibly due to the pony car era coming to a close. Production of the original Challenger would eventually end halfway through 1974, exactly 165,437 models were manufactured. 

During the late 70’s and early 80’s, smaller, more fuel efficient cars would take the popularity of the pony car. But for the sake of sales, companies would market new compact models with the names of their old, sporty models. Ford had done this with a design based on their Pinto, calling it the “Mustang II”. Dodge had done something similar in collaboration with Mitsubishi. Since 1971, Chrysler had been importing subcompact models from the Japanese company. In 1978, they would take a rear-wheel drive coupe, based on the Mitsubishi Galant, and sell it as the second generation Challenger in the United States. This new, smaller Challenger would be given a more spacious makeover in 1981. However, it was replaced by the Dodge Conquest in 1983. 

The Challenger’s next revival, and most recent chapter would begin in 2006. When the new design was first revealed, it was noted how the exterior managed to strongly resemble that of the original design of 1970. Not too long after, in 2008, the Challenger gained a popular new variant in the SRT8. The SRT8, like the original Challenger, had a Hemi V-8 engine with 425 horsepower. By 2015, the Challenger gained three more new variants, all branded as the R/T. This included the R/T Scat Pack, with 485 horsepower  and the new TorqueFlight eight-speed automatic. The SRT8, meanwhile, was rebranded as the SRT 392, as they had a new, top performance muscle and racing model; the SRT Hellcat.

The Hellcat was a major game changer since its debut, immediately becoming the strongest street legal car on the market. It had 707 horsepower, surpassing the 662 horsepower Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. There were very few changes to the Challenger’s design between 2015 and 2017. Aside from the introduction of an all-wheel drive Challenger with the Challenger GT. It also had the same suspension as the Dodge Charger Pursuit, a police car variant of the Charger. However by 2018, Dodge was able to make something even stronger than the Hellcat; the SRT Demon. The Demon could achieve as much as 840 horsepower, using a 2.7 liter supercharger, and a new valve train. It also had an automatic race cooldown feature that made it easier for the engine to cool down when racing. The Demon was specifically designed to be more ideal for drag racing. 

However, the Dodge Demon’s production was notably limited, only 3,300 of them were made annually. To compensate for this, Dodge would create the Hellcat Redeye in 2019. It was not as strong as the Demon, but still stronger than the original Hellcat, with 797 horsepower. It had similar wheels to the Demon, and a unique emblem; a glowing red eye. Dodge also made another drag racing focused variant known as the R/T Scat Pack 1320. It had many of the same features as the Demon, such as a TransBrake, cooldown, line lock, and a drag mode. In 2020, a more direct successor to the Demon was introduced with the SRT Super Stock. It had just slightly more horsepower than the Redeye, as it had recalibrated shift points. 

In conclusion, the Dodge Challenger was more than just Dodge’s attempt to hop on the pony car bandwagon. With this particular model, they were able to redefine drag racing, and create some of the most powerful engines to ever grace the street or the track. As members of the Challenger’s brain trust like to say; “We're very proud of the fact that at SRT, we don't speed-limit our products. They're governed by the laws of physics.”