The latest snow falls across the U.S. have prompted a flurry of commercials from automakers touting the advantages of all-wheel drive models. This one comes from Dodge and shows the new Durango, Charger and Journey, all of which are available with AWD. Nevertheless, we'd say that while power sent to four wheels instead of two does help in certain situations, one should never, ever underestimate the importance of a good set of all season or better yet, winter tires.
Now here's a dream come true: taking an old-school muscle car - in this case, a black 1970 Dodge Challenger - out on the Autobahn and winding it out. This bad-to-the-bone vintage ride appears to have been lightly modified or restored so as to not rattle to pieces, although there's no way of knowing for sure until the owner drops us a line (do it, 66PaleRider).
Whoever the driver is, there's no denying that the long-haired fiend has got a pair; pushing old muscle up to 130+ mph in any instance has been known to get a little shaky. The last time yours truly tried such a feat in the old Stang, I recall a trail of white smoke about a mile long and desperately seeking an off ramp (but man was it fun).
Repair results were better than expected, but the lesson was loud and clear: unrestored 289s have a bit of trouble getting up higher than 90 and shouldn't be pushed. In the case of this '70 Challenger, though, we see that's not really the case.
Enjoy the vids below, and if anyone knows some info about the car, send it on over. I smell a feature.
It's the end of the line [at least for now] for one of the most recognizable and iconic American sports cars of the past two decades as the last of the current-generation Dodge Vipers "slithered" its way out of the firm's Conner Avenue plant in Detroit.
The final example of the 2010 Dodge Viper is a customized coupe model for D'Ann Rauh (second from right in the picture), who along with her husband Wayne from Arp, Texas, own more than 40 Dodge Vipers. The Texas couple own the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world.
Rauh's Viper is finished in a custom bronzed gold exterior paint supplied by House of Kolor, while unique interior features include various leather appointments crafted by Tony Spampinito from Venzano. The dark graphite five-spoke forged-aluminum wheels complete the package.
Production of the V10-powered Dodge Viper started in 1992. A next generation model has been rumored but not officially confirmed.
Dodge's motorsport division has launched a new series of online ads featuring the company's 'big-bad' NASCAR bus that will be making an 88-stop tour across the country to promote the Dodge product lineup. Nicely done commercials, too bad that Chrysler's PR department (ha, that's a good one...) hasn't taken the time to promote the ads as we stumbled upon them by chance, but we guess we'll get the word around...
You'd think that the Dodge Challenger R/T with its 376HP 5.7-liter V8 Hemi would be one of the least obvious candidates for an electric drivetrain. We mean, it's a damn muscle car - if you want economy, go fiddle around with a Prius or a 20 year old Honda Civic. Nonetheless, there is some logic behind this project that is featured on a type of advertising microsite for Popular Mechanics. See, the ECO + Challenger R/T uses a separate electric drivetrain for everyday driving and a modified V8 Hemi that's equipped with a nitrous system when the driver calls for performance.
"With inexpensive aerodynamic aids, a state-of-the-art electric drive system and some other helpful bits, we'll turn our potent Challenger into a parallel hybrid plug-in/solar/electric that burns no fuel at all in everyday driving," say the creators of the ECO + Challenger R/T. "We think this is a spectacular way to please both environmentalists and enthusiasts. Eco+Muscle. What's not to like?"
Before the addition of the electric drivetrain, the modified Challenger R/T ran the 0 to 60mph (96km/h) sprint in 3.95 seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 114 mph. That's compared to the stock Challenger R/T's 5.5 seconds and 13.9 seconds at 103 mph respectively. Other upgrades include a sport suspension, Brembo brakes and 20-inch alloys wrapped in Michelin rubber.
The electric drivetrain consists of an 125HP and 176 lb-ft of torque electric motor, 28 batteries that replace the rear seat bench, a fuel cell system and a separate, aircraft-like hand throttle to control the electric motor. The Hemi V8 is controlled by the stock foot pedal.
The creators haven't disclosed acceleration numbers for the electric drivetrain, but they say it can provide a top speed of up to 100mph (160km/h) and a range of around 40miles (60km). In theory, the driver could use both drivetrains to accelerate but that of course would mean he'd have to handle both throttles.
The dual-powered Eco + Challenger R/T will be on display at the NASCAR Pocono 500 race in June, at the San Bernardino Route 66 Rendezvous in September and at the Las Vegas SEMA Show in November. According to the site, it will be auctioned off in Scottsdale next January.
So what happens when one isn't satisfied even with the 425-ponies of the range-topping Dodge Challenger SRT8's HEMI V8? Well, one solution is to bring the car to the folks over at RDP Performance. The Ohio-based tuner will add a duo of superchargers along with a nitrous boosting system and a series of other modifications to the V8 engine for a total output of 1,000 HP. According to the company, the RDP Challenger SRT8 can hit the quarter mile in 9 seconds - a whole second faster than the Bugatti Veyron... Skip the jump to find out what a 1,000 HP Challenger sounds like.
