The 21st Century Muscle Car Race

With Chrysler and GM joining the retro muscle car race of the 21st Century, a race which Ford created with their Mustang Concept from 2003, the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro concepts from the 2006 Detroit Auto Show look like cars off the pages of a 1970's car mag.

Both cars, like the Mustang, have received widespread applause from American car nuts eager to recapture their youth, or just get their hands on a fast car. And it's positive public opinion which has driven the cars into production.

The Dodge Challenger concept is a creation of Chrysler designer Mike Castiglione. The concept Challenger has a 116 inch wheelbase chassis derived from the LX platform used by the Chrysler 300C. This has been covered by a one-off carbon fibre body which won't make it into production. Note that the racing stripes aren't paint, it's exposed carbon fibre.
Just like the 1970 Dodge Challenger, the Challenger concept has a long bonnet and short rear deck. This powerful appearance has been exaggerated by some clever design features which tricks the eyes. The wing mirrors have been pushed back, the windscreen more steeply angled, and the front overhang extended to create a the appearance of a longer bonnet without sacrificing the practicality afforded by using a more conventional layout.
Powered by a 425 horsepower, 425 ft lbs of torque, 6.1 litre Hemi V8 coupled to a six speed manual transmission the Challenger concept reaches 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, and goes on to reach 174 mph.



The Chevrolet Camaro concept revives the model GM dropped in 2002, albeit with a much more retrospective design.
Unlike the Challenger concept, which is almost a clone of the 1970's car, the new Camaro has a distinct 21st century style throughout, although cues to the past are everywhere.
The concept Camaro shown at Detroit is actually the result of a last minute alteration by GM bosses to give the car a more contemporary design.
Inspired by Camaros of the late '60's, especially the '69 Camaro Z28, the concept has extraordinarily powerful lines laid over a 110.5 inch wheelbase.
Powered by a Chevrolet Corvette derived LS2, 6.2 litre, V8 delivering 400 horsepower to the 22" rear wheels via a six speed manual gearbox, the Camaro should be a worthy opponent to the Challenger and Mustang's potent performance.




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Sports cars
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