When the Dodge Challenger concept debuted in January at the North American International Auto Show, it stole the show with little rebuttal from the Chevrolet’s new Camaro Concept.  The Challenger dazzled both classic cars lovers and modern car enthusiasts with its modernized vintage lines, and its high performance Hemi engine.  It stood basically at the center of the NAIAS floor, on its elevated platform, like a beacon of hope for those Mopar lovers who had been hoping and praying for so long to have a modern pony car from DCX.  Its bright orange paint glowed in the many spotlights surrounding the platform, and at no given time during the opening or closing day was there less than a 3-deep crowd around the display.

Fast forward to October of 2006.  Among rumors of gigantic Hemi engines and a possible Chrysler ‘Cuda Concept, those same Mopar lovers who were wowed at the NAIAS eagerly waited to see what goodies DCX had in store for the SEMA crowd.  The hopes of a ‘Cuda release were not answered, but the rumors of a larger engine in a Challenger were verified, just not in a car that will likely see production.

The Dodge Challenger Super Sport Concept built by Mopar, could someday stand among the greatest factory production race cars of the 1960s, and like those factory race models, this new Super Stock Concept is packed with a high horsepower Hemi.  The most famous of these factory race cars from the 1960s is the 1968 Dodge Hemi Dart, and its Plymouth cousin, the Barracuda.  There were 50 of each of these models made, and it has been shown that in almost “stock” form they were capable of 9 second quarter mile times.  While some people found ways to register a few of them, they were specifically made for track use, and supposedly were listed as “not for public highways”.  The reasoning behind these cars was very simple; to run the NHRA Super Stock class, you had to sell cars to the general public and not just offer the car to factory backed racers.  The Super Stock class is just as it sounds, high performance stock vehicles, with a book full of rules helping to determine what exactly is “stock”, but when the Hemi Dart came off the assembly line with no heater, no power options, no rear seats, fiberglass body panels, lightweight seats, etc.  The full information on this new Dodge Challenger Super Stock is candid at best, but what do know is what we can see.  It is equipped with Goodyear drag slicks, wheelie bars, a roll cage, and a T/A style hood scoop to feed the carbureted 392 cubic inch Hemi.  This Challenger Super Sport Concept is finished in red, white and blue with a red side stripe similar to the stripe package found on the 1970 Challenger T/A, and with the T/A hood scoop and duckbill style T/A rear spoiler, the Challenger Super Sport presents an interesting theory of possible production.  It could just be coincidence, but when the Challenger T/A and Plymouth A Cuda AAR were released to the public, they did so in order to make the 340 powered cars legal for SCCA production classes.  Could it be that the features of a vintage production race model were added to hint to the fact that the new Challenger will have the option of factory production race models?

While the Challenger draws the attention, unfortunately the Challenger Super Sport was not at SEMA to introduce a new model.  Next year will mark the 50^th anniversary of the 293 cubic inch Hemi, and while there were precursors to the 392 Hemi, it was not until the 392 hit the showrooms (and the race tracks) that a Hemi began making the name famous.  Along with this awesome race ready concept, Dodge officially announced the availability of the 392 crate motors to the performance catalog.  The 392 is offered in three different forms, with the specifications listed below, as provided by DaimlerChrysler:

• Three different versions of the new 392 are available from Mopar:
  • P5153604 392 HEMI Crate Engine – Carbureted, 540 horsepower and 490 lb.-ft of torque
  • P5253605 392 HEMI Crate Engine – SEFI, 525 horsepower and 510 lb.-ft. of torque
  • P5153603 392 HEMI Long Block HEMI Crate Engine

Technical specifications include:
• Deep-skirted cast iron block with cross-bolted mains
• CNC-ported aluminum twin-plug cylinder heads
• Stainless steel 2.100″ intake and 1.600″ exhaust valves
• Ovate wire (beehive competition) valve springs
• Viton competition valve stem seals
• 279°/285° hydraulic roller camshaft with 0.584″ intake and 0.552″ exhaust lift
• Forged pistons (4.055″ bore)
• 10.5:1 compression ratio
• Aluminum single plane high rise intake manifold with holley 870 cfm 4-bbl carburetor for carbureted 392 applications (1)
• 4140 forged steel crankshaft - 3.795″ stroke
• 4130 forged- steel I-beam performance connecting rods - 6.200″ length
• SFI-approved competition crankshaft damper
• “Plug-and-Play” wiring harnesses (2)
• 80 mm manual throttle body on fuel-injected engines (3)
• Premium tri-metal performance engine bearings
• Precision balanced rotating assembly
• Distributorless coil-on-plug (COP) ignition system

Now, while this Challenger Super Sport does not seem any more unrealistic as a vehicle for public sale than does the Super Stock Hemi Dart, people should keep in mind the strict emissions laws now, which were not a concern in 1968.  Also, the Challenger Super

Sport Concept is equipped with a carbureted engine, and there has not been a non-fuel injected car sold by Dodge in a few decades.  So, while there is the outside chance that someday a Super Stock ready Challenger could be offered, the public should not get their hopes too high for the car to be as it appeared at SEMA 2006, unless it is going to be non-street driven.  However, this does show that the Challenger, set for a 2008 release, does have an engine bay which will handle the 392 Hemi, and with so many speculations on what engine offerings may be available once the Challenger hits the showrooms, this could be yet another hint at things to come.  Either way, the Challenger Super Sport Concept provides a great look at what we could be seeing in the not so distant future, if not from DCX, from high performance minded fabricators looking to turn heads and great times on the drag strip.