2010 Dodge Challenger: 40 years of Mopar Muscle

By Mike Blake, Carlisle Events

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Forty years ago, Dodge entered the American “Muscle Car wars with the 1970 Challenger, debuting in fall 1969 with a Chrysler “E-body” short-deck, long-hood platform it shared with the Plymouth Barracuda.
In its five years of production, the original Challenger wowed them on the boulevards, down the drag strips and around the race tracks with its powertrain choices that ranged from a 145-hp 225-cubic-inch I-6, to a 426-ci HEMI V-8 that thundered out 425 horses (there was also a larger 440-ci V-8 that produced 390 horsepower).
The iconic HEMI Orange street racer, all 4061 pounds of it, equipped with a Hurst “pistol-grip” shifter and either twin-scooped or single vent “shaker” hoods and deck-lid wings, became a cruising and racing hero as the 1970 model sold 83,000 units.
Its initial run came to an end in 1974, but it was brought back in name only from 1978-1983, as a Mitsubishi Galant trim and in reality, this was really only a Plymouth Sapporo.
The true heir of Challenger was born in 2008, wearing a “retro-luxury-muscle” tag. For 2010, Challenger improves on the theme with a special edition Plum Crazy model for the SRT8 and the Furious Fuchsia editions to commemorate 40 years of Dodge muscle-car performance. Additionally, the 2010 model includes steering wheel audio controls, stand ESP systems, UConnect links, automatic headlights and LED cupholder/door handles.
Looking like it is bursting out of the pages of “Cars of 1970,” the 2010 rear-wheel drive Challenger is a brawny, old-school street machine with a long nose, front end skirt and hood scoop, in a sedan package that measures 197.7 inches long, 75.7 inches wide and an aerodynamic 57.1 inches high on a 116-inch wheelbase.
Exterior accouterments include dual rear exhaust with bright exhaust tips, rear body-color spoiler, black satin chrome grille, Halogen headlamps, fog lamps, solar control glass, body-color door handles, variable intermittent wipers, rear window antenna and glistening 18x7.5-inch aluminum wheels.
My 3947-lb. test Challenger R/T was muscled by a 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 that effortlessly rumbles out 376 hp and a beefy 410 lbs-ft of torque. For cubic-inch old schoolers, 5.7 liters rounds out to 347.8 cubic inches – in a much more efficient and burly set-up than its grandfather did in 1970.
Challenger can still turn heads in town, on the interstates and at the track, showing off with style and substance. It delivers with tire-screeching low-end torque and high-speed passing ability. On slaloms, it takes corners with some oversteer and yaw, but with stickiness and confidence.
Mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission, my test Challenger R/T met the challenge and sprinted through a zero-to-60mph run in 6-seconds flat, while soaring down the quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds and covering an eighth-mile in 8.5.
Independent front and rear suspension feel very retro and all-speed traction control, electronic stability control and brake assist make for a smooth and assertive ride.
As was true 40 years ago is true today concerning fuel economy -- you pay for muscle. The 2010 Challenger R/T is EPA rated at 16/25, and nearly 500 miles of mixed-use tests earned an average of 18.8 mpg.
In the cabin, you get a ’70s feel with 21st century tech. It is comfortable and its large beveled dashboard and old-style shifter knobs bring you back 40 years.
With seating for 5, Challenger measures out at 39.3 inches of front headroom and 37.4 in row two; leg room is 42.0 and a tight 32.6 and shoulder room is 58.2 and 53.9. Interior niceties include cloth low back bucket seats (that were upgraded to leather at no cost in my test R/T), 8-way power driver seat, driver and passenger manual lumbar settings, speed sensitive power locks, power accessory delay, leather-wrapped tilt/telescopic steering wheel, keyless entry, air conditioning, front and rear climate control, cell phone storage, rear window defroster, tip start, speed control and leather-wrapped shift knob.
Speaking safety, Challenger is a 5-star champ. The NHTSA awarded Challenger a perfect 5 stars in front and side crash tests with 4-star rating in rollover tests. Challenger is safety-minded inside as well with advanced multi-stage front airbags with passenger airbag cutoff, supplemental front side airbag, supplemental front and rear side-curtain airbags and tire pressure monitoring warning lamp
Priced far below what modern muscle can be stickered at, the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T has a base price of $30,860, with destination charges of $725. My test ride was upgraded with a ton of options to make it a luxury muscle experience. My vehicle added 6-speed manual Tremec transmission for $995 (I personally would rather save the money and burn rubber with a manual stick); the R/T Customer Preferred Option cost $1805 (5.7-L HEMI V-8 engine, 5-speed auto trans, 276-watt amplifier, six Boston Acoustics speakers, body-color exterior mirrors, heated front seats, leather-trimmed bucket seats, power heated fold-away mirrors and Sirius satellite radio; Inferno Red Crystal Exterior paint added $200 and the Electronic Group add-on with UConnect, iPod, vehicle info center, remote start and display screen added $1170 for a drive-off of $35,755 plus tax and license.
Forty years later, Challenger is exciting the new-schoolers as it did the old-schoolers.


Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

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