Dodge Challenger Designer Shares Secrets Behind Iconic Car

Meet 'Casti'

Principle exterior designer for the Dodge Challenger concept, Michael Castiglione is shaping the future of the Auto world. And while he certainly has quite a long way to go, he is already a very accomplished and well-established designer. Now a design manager at KIA Design Center in Southern California, Castiglione-- or "Casti"--bears significant responsibility for the future of KIA.

Castiglione cites the experience of designing the modern Dodge Challenger as one of his favorites from his 20 years at Chrysler. His purist approach toward design is what has brought him continued success, and it was no different in the case of designing the resurrection of the legendary muscle car.

Let's look at some of Casti's favorite projects and the story of how the Challenger came to be, along with a few very cool sketches to go with them. 

Where It All Began

A classic case of "boy falls in love with a car," Micheal's story began when he found himself fascinated with automobiles as a youngster.

"At around 6 years old, I remember riding in my dad's buddy’s old Mustang and just loving it! The engine roar, the exhaust fumes, getting thrown back in the seat, It all just seemed so cool! I grew up near the Pomona Drags and you could hear them (drag racing) from my high school, so, on drag days, I tended to miss classes! Perhaps, from growing up near the Winternationals, I have a special love for muscle cars.  My dad and my uncles were really into cars and that definitely rubbed off.  My uncle Nick had a 454 Nova drag car that he drove on the street occasionally and my Dad had numerous bad-ass cars like a '64 Stingray.

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Following His Passion

For Castiglione, finding a path to his dream career was not completely clear-cut. But eventually, he was steered in the right direction.

"Right after high school, car design was sort of a distant thought," Castiglione tells Dodge Forum. "My folders were covered with car sketches, mostly Camaros. In high school, a buddy and I got kicked out of driver-training class because we were arguing about which was cooler, Ferrari or Lamborghini!" 

"Initially, I thought I wanted to be an engineer, so I started at Cal Poly Pomona in engineering and hated it," he adds. "But after studying fine art for about two years, I went to Art Center College of Design [in California] to go full-on into transportation design." 

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The Kickstart

The Psychology of Design

Automotive designers often put their own personality into the vehicles they design. For Castiglione, his sophisticated thought process regarding auto styling is evident in his work. "I like designs that are simple, yet make a strong and unique statement," he tells us. "I'm attracted to great proportions first, then details. This formula has a timeless quality. If you look at all great car designs throughout history, simple and unique cars are the most desirable and collectible. You can easily see this in some of my work, like the Challenger, Pronto Spyder, and most recently the KIA Cadenza." 

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For the Love of Cars

So what is Castiglione's favorite car? "I love the Ferrari 250 SWB -- just plain badass! Especially the ones set up for racing. In modern design, I'm in love with the Bugatti Chiron." 

Castiglione does not hesitate when asked what his favorite project has been. "Probably the Dodge Challenger," he says. "It felt like we were creating something special and that project tapped into my passion for muscle cars. Also, the projects that really stand out are the Plymouth Pronto Spyder, Jeep Treo, and KIA Cadenza. I also managed the new KIA Soul, which is coming out soon."

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Was the Return of the Challenger Imminent?

Castiglione speaks fondly of his time working on the 2006 Challenger concept car. But was it smooth-sailing all the way through?

"The goal was to create an iconic American muscle car," he acknowledges. "My scale model was the most retro. All of the other models looked too much like modern sports cars with a few small cues from the original Challenger. It was my personal belief that the car should not just have a badge that says Challenger, but it should also look like a Challenger, a modern version of all of the best qualities of the old car."

This, of course, begs the question: How did the project even come about?

"At that time we were owned by Mercedes, and they absolutely had no love or interest in American muscle cars," he says. "However, Chrysler had this great Hemi engine and a great platform (C300), so all of the ingredients were basically there to do a kick-ass two-door muscle car. Our studio on the West Coast really pushed it. Top management finally agreed to let us do some scale models, of which we did four. From there, we did a full-size clay model, and my model was not chosen. Two other models were chosen and [aspects of each] were combined on the full-size model. At that time I was officially out of the running." 

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Passion Prevails

At the time, it seemed like Castiglione's design was not meant to be seen beyond the walls of Chrysler's advanced design studio...but it's never really over until it's over.

"Our studio, Pacifica, finished the full-size clay model, painted it and sent it back to Detroit," he recalls. "Keep in mind this was not my theme. It went to Detroit and we heard almost nothing about the project for six months. Then at the beginning of 2005 when top management normally picks concept cars for the next year, we were told we're doing a Challenger concept for NAIAS, and it's going to be my theme! Trevor Creed, who was then head of Chrysler design, knew that I have a ridiculous passion for muscle cars and believed in me and my goal for the project. So from there, we did a quick all-new scale model and went immediately to full-size." 

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It's All About Perfection

It might seem like an easy job to draw cars for a living. But the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into perfecting each line on a beautiful automobile is incomparable. And the challenges and quirks that came along with a project like this were not of minor consequence. 

"One of the biggest challenges was the basic proportion compared to the original Challenger," says Castiglione. "We had to use a Chrysler 300 and just shorten it a bit. The original car had a much lower H-point, therefore, the roof was much lower than the C300. Also, the windshield was at least a foot farther rearward. These were huge proportional differences we had to overcome. This was difficult, but I think we finally dialed it in. Also, the original car was pure and simple, so that was very important to me. We didn't want to clutter the design with a bunch of trendy surfacing and B.S. For instance, it's one of the only modern cars with no rocker detail at all. This editing down and staying clear of trendy stuff is the reason the design is kind of timeless.

"The CEO of Chrysler at that time was Dieter Zetsche from Mercedes. He said: 'OK, I'll let you guys do this muscle car thing, but it's gonna be a concept car only!' I knew once that thing hit the show stand it would have a tremendous following and they would have to build it!" 

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One for the History Books

In the end, Castiglione feels good about the design as well as the final product. "I am extremely happy with the outcome!" he says. "Because we really thought this could go straight to production, we were fairly honest to the package, so the production version barely changed from the concept. I'm stoked that the guys at Chrysler still believe in the design enough to only facelift it for the newer version. They did an excellent job updating it and improving it. Ralph Gilles and the design team has pushed the performance of the Challenger to the extreme with models like Hellcat and Demon! The passion for that car is flat-out sick, and I'm so happy to be a part of it!"

Aside from his day job of designing the future generations of KIA, Castiglione is an incredible fine artist. Check out more of his work on his official Instagram page: @micheal_casti_castiglione

>>Join the conversation about The Man Behind the Challenger right here in Dodge Forum.

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