2009 Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger unveiled at SEMA

Formula Drift is serious business for those involved in the series and the drift community, and Chrysler's Mopar division has revealed its latest entry to the field at the SEMA show today. The 2009 Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger will be the factory ride for Samuel Hubinette during the 2009 season.

In order to get the big car sideways in a big way, a lot of work had to be done to make the car lighter and more powerful. Replacing the majority of the body panels with carbon fiber went a long way toward the goal, along with deleting the interior and other convenience items.

Power adding was done by substituting the 6.1L HEMI normally found in the SRT8 chassis with a Mopar A8 aluminum engine built by Gary Stanton Racing Engines. Sporting Mopar W9 raised port heads, the engine is good for an estimated 850hp (634kW) and 849lb-ft (1,150Nm) of torque. BFGoodrich tires supply the grip and smoke necessary to succeed in the half-show, half-go world of professional drifting.

In 2007 Hubinette and the Mopar Drift team ran a Dodge Challenger, which taught the team a lot about what was necessary to execute a successful drift race machine. “All that we learned from building the Dodge Charger drift car is transformed into this car and really makes it competitive,"said Hubinette. "The Dodge Challenger is definitely the hot vehicle right now — everybody’s talking about it. Having the vehicle built as a competition drift car is just going to add even more excitement."