A whole generation of famous muscle cars almost died out in the 70s. years when the oil crisis came. Only a few have survived, and even then only in a very degenerate form. One of them was the famous Dodge Challenger. However, it made a full return in 2008 with its V8 engine. And so today, thankfully, I can introduce you to its muscular R/T version with a proper 6.4-litre V8 engine. And a little disclaimer – you can hate a lot of things about this car, but that character and sound, you have to love that most of all. So hop on the video and enjoy!

Do modern mule cars have a chance to survive?

That’s the question. For the sake of humanity (and I mean that quite seriously), I hope so. At a time when automotive boredom and grey is becoming ubiquitous, these cars are a treat for the petrolhead. They are as politically incorrect as it gets these days. They are the hooligans of the roads. And not by breaking the rules of the road, but by the way they are built, their expression and appearance. In short, a sight for the soul, a departure from the automotive masses.

I firmly believe that at least some of the legends like the Ford Mustang or just the Dodge Challenger will be preserved for the future. Albeit maybe in a stripped down form, but it will still be them with a V8 under the hood and a wonderful sound. The real one from the exhaust (I salute you BMW M8). I want to one day show the younger generation that there are also cars for pleasure, and not just out of a need for necessary transportation from point A to point B.

Reviews and experiences Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack

The Challenger is a really big car – both externally and from behind the wheel. And difficult too. He is not a sophisticated athlete, because his size and weight are everywhere present. It is, in short, a Muscle Car with everything that goes with it. A reference to the past when volume and performance was everything. A few years back it would have left us cold, but not today. Today, one must try to take his hat off to the before that exists.

When the third generation came back on the market in 2008, it brought the typical austere and seemingly cheap interior so typical of American cars. After the facelift in 2015, however, things changed, because suddenly there was an almost radical change on board – the interior was given an almost premium touch, especially the dashboard is very modern and nice. It took a while, but it’s here.

This particular model is a Challenger R/T with the optional Scat Pack. This includes a number of things you may or may not have. For example, for $1 you can have the back seats removed (you get the point, the weight…). Almost nobody will use that, but what they certainly will is the lightweight aluminium front bonnet. Or a detail that catches your eye right away – Air catcher headlamps. Hence the hole right in the inner lights of the front grille, through which additional air is fed to the engine. And it looks BRUTAL! This feature first appeared on the Hellcat version, but today you can have it here as well.

The 6.4 V8 engine really has almost no work to do with this car. The numbers that pop up on your speedometer after a few seconds are far in the zone of endangering your licence. And everyone around. Therefore, even the sound recording during acceleration had its fixed limits. But every single run will be a feast for you thanks to the amazing bubble. Having this car, I wouldn’t even tinker with the settings, it just evokes in me the gliding down the roads with occasional brutal acceleration. Oh yes, I love this car with everything that goes with it…

All generations of Dodge Challenger

• 1st generation (1969-1974)
  Originally, this generation was placed in the Pony car category (small affordable coupes that looked sporty rather than drove like it) but later evolved into the Muscle car class. Under the hood you found an inline 6 cylinder or V8.
  The arch enemy was the Ford Mustang (debuted in 1964) or the Pontiac Firebird.
  The end of this generation was brought about by the first oil crisis, when the last pieces were produced at the end of April 1974.
• 2nd generation (1977-1983)
  An attempt to revive the famous Challenger, but this time on a completely different basis and under completely different conditions. The platform donor was the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupe. Oh, and under the hood there were only poor 4 cylinder 1.6 or 2.6 with 78k or 160k power. Nothing more. The only thing that saved the honour was the rear-wheel drive.
• 3rd generation (2008- )
  The current and hopefully not the last generation. In 2015 it underwent a facelift which brought several changes in equipment, engines (SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat) but especially a much higher quality interior. A full-fledged successor to the legendary first generation.

Engine: Apache 6.4 L (392 cu in) HEMI OHV V8
Displacement: 6 399 cc
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Power: 492 hp (362 kW) @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 644 Nm @ 4600 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Top speed: 250 km/h
0-100 km/h: 3.5 s
Combined consumption: 13l/100 km