Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320

Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320

The modern muscle car revival was brought with it a rebirth of factory drag-race accessories from the major manufacturers, like the FR500 Cobra Jet Mustang from Ford. For the Dodge Challenger, the Mopar Drag Pak offers a light-weight, race-only version of the street car for special order. This year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show will offer an even more potent yet street-legal version of the car, called the 1320.

The Mopar Dodge Challenger 1320 is what the company calls an "image vehicle," meaning it builds the image on Sunday that sells cars on Monday. The "1320" in the name is a very familiar number for straight-line enthusiasts, as that's the exact number of feet in a quarter-mile drag strip. The point behind the car is to explore new possibilities for Mopar additions to the standard production Challenger.

"We will gauge reaction to these vehicles and explore new directions as we develop Mopar performance parts and accessories for our vehicles," said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care.
Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of the Dodge Car Brand, hinted at possible production reality for some of the 1320's goodies, saying, "Our vehicles are designed and built by the same passionate automotive enthusiasts within our company who are designing and engineering new Mopar parts and accessories for vehicles in our product pipeline."

To take the stripped-down Drag Pak Challenger and bring it back to street-legality, the team started with an all-aluminum Mopar 426 cubic-inch crate engine rated at 556 horsepower, complete with a Mopar-designed valve cover and dress-up kit.

Long-tube headers and a new exhaust system let the big engine pump the air it needs to create all that power, which is sent to the ground through a six-speed manual transmission and a Dynatrac rear housing with Mopar Dana 60 internals and a locking differential.

The list of mods doesn't stop there, including custom Mopar police wheels, an adjustable coil-over kit, and an electric cutout system to bypass the mufflers completely are also available.

The street-legal drag-race hot rod also gets a Seibon carbon fiber HEMI scoop hood, front spoiler and grille panel/headlight surround to make it easy to spot from the outside--as if the Acidic Hue bright yellow paint and matte black graphics wouldn't do the trick. Inside, the car gets Dodge Viper seats, a sport steering wheel and a Hurst shifter.

The 2009 SEMA show starts Tuesday, November 3 and runs through November 6, with press days running from October 30 to November 1.

[Chrysler]