2006 Dodge Charger Road & Track Test

Another Out of the Ballpark Hit for Chrysler Group

Digital Canon SLR in hand I madly snapped shots from the bleachers among a throng of like-minded photographers trying to get

The new Dodge Charger, unmasked from under what looked to be a race-prepped NASCAR version of the car, made for one of the best unveilings in Detroit last January. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

a perfectly cropped shot of King Richard Petty next to the new Dodge Charger, in what was the best executed unveiling in Detroit last January. Having just been unmasked from under what looked to be a race-prepped NASCAR version of the car, the enthusiasm bordered on hysteria - a rare sight among jaded journalists.

It was then that I asked myself how Chrysler keeps putting out winners when its domestic competitors seem to struggle from one new model to the next. The latest in the Ann Arbor-based automaker's lineup resurrects one of the most memorable nameplates in the storied marque's history.

Charger was the quintessential muscle car when it debuted in 1966. Its brutish styling, bullish power and bad boy attitude made it a favorite among go-fast greasers, from the first generation to the third, ending in 1974. The Charger nameplate was still used on various models

The 2006 Charger comes with the same kind of bold presence as the original '60s and early '70s models. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

through the latter half of the '70s and much of the '80s, but it was the early cars that make today's classic collectors and muscle car enthusiasts salivate with desire, especially when a hemi V8 is stuffed under the hood.

The 2006 Charger, Dodge's modern day muscle car, is once again available with a HEMI V8, but even in stock 2.7- or 3.5-litre V6 trim comes with the same kind of bold presence as the original '60s and early '70s model. I couldn't help notice this when driving from Durham, North Carolina to Virginia International Raceway during the car's press launch earlier this week.