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Dodge reveals several exciting options for current muscle car enthusiasts before green power takes a hold on the market.
While electrification remains the buzzword in the automaker world, from corporate boardrooms to the factory front lines, Dodge announced on Monday during the launch of its Speed Week publicity campaign that it hadn't forgotten the needs of muscle car owners across the country.
Speaking at a conference at the automaker's Auburn Hills, Mich. headquarters, Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis revealed several initiatives to prolong its internal-combustion muscle car legacy, not the least of which included the introduction of carbon fiber bodies to outfit the 1970 Dodge Charger as well as the highly-lauded Plymouth Barracuda and the popular Plymouth Road Runner.
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Via Dodge's Direct Connection parts production division and Oklahoma-based custom car builder Finale Speed, the automaker is making available an entire carbon body of the 1970 Dodge Charger, using all the specifications from the original model. Similar processes are also in the cards for the Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner models, although Kuniskis wasn't at liberty to reveal a street date.
The Charger body will be compatible with all B-series chassis frames produced between 1962 and 1979, meaning that an enthusiast could restomod almost any Dodge or Plymouth vehicle with such an undercarriage to resemble the legendary muscle car. While Direct Connection has long made other muscle car parts available, from front splitters to rear spoilers, this is the first time a full body is being made available.
It's all in response to diehards of the classic Chargers, Challengers, and other heavy-duty speedsters of the past. "We're going to amp up all of our Direct Connection stuff," said Kuniskis. "Now for most of our Direct Connection stuff, it's going to be available for years and allow tens of thousands of customers to keep working on the muscle cars that they already have right now."
Kuniskis referred to the Charger and future Plymouth bodies as "blank canvases" for gearheads to come up with their visions of what their dream muscle cars should look like, making it more vital for Direct Connection to provide all the parts necessary to build them.
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To further illustrate that promise to what he called the "brotherhood," Kuniskis also unveiled a white Dodge Challenger body complete with a Drag Pak rolling chassis and a protective cage welded into the product, making it compatible with prerequisites for the professional drag racing circuit. The body, which comes straight from the factory, is adaptable to almost any drivetrain and would cost racers around $90,000.
Also coming out via Direct Connection are Torqueflite eight-speed transmissions, currently available in HP70. Those wanting more performance will need to wait a little longer before the HP90s roll out. The company is also responding to demands for 2.7- and 3.0-liter supercharger kits.
Additionally, Kuniskis revealed another treat for those who don't take racing as seriously but still want to make a powerful impression on the road: a Challenger convertible. "You guys have been hounding us for years for a convertible Challenger, and you know that we don't build them," noted Kuniskis.
However, Dodge teamed up with Florida-based Drop Top Customs, a company that's mastered the art of turning hard tops into open-air conversation pieces. To that end, consumers seeking such a refit can drop their Challenger at a Dodge factory, which ships it to Drop Top for the conversion. Upon completion, it's sent back to the Dodge factory for consumer pick-up.
Kuniskis saved the final reveal for one of the most powerful models bearing the Dodge badge: a 2023 Durango SRT Hellcat. Brought back after a year's absence from the market, it still sports a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that delivers 710 horsepower and 645 lb.-ft. "Most importantly," noted Kuniskis, "it's the most badass SUV you can buy, period."
But other badass wheels, like the Hemi-powered Challenger and Charger, won't likely enjoy such a lease on life. Emissions compliance measures will make 2022 the last year these muscle cars will be available, with their production slated to end on December 23.
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"We want to squeeze as much into and out of the current generation muscle cars before they're one because this lineup deserves a send-off unlike any other," said Kuniskis, admitting that the balance between new-car rollouts and muscle-car preservation has resulted in a flurry of plans scattered across the board.
For example, production will cease on the current versions of the Challenger and Charger at its Canadian plant in Brampton, Ont. in favor of future electric renditions. But for gearheads and muscle car hobbyists, the availability of options via Direct Connection will at least serve to lengthen the lives of those automotive legends that used to terrorize the road in their prime.
Sources: Dodge Via YouTube, Stellantis North America
Gene Kosowan has been with Hotcars.com on and off since April of 2018 and prefers to focus on the weirder aspects of automotive culture. He's written about everything from celebrities to cars, but especially likes the latter as they're far less pretentious to interview.