Something tells me, however, that even do-gooders may smile when they first catch sight of a Challenger; that is until their better
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| Chrysler Group's 11-strong SRT lineup will grow to an even dozen with the advent of the Challenger SRT8. |
sense tells them that everything about it is simply wrong, that it clashes with all that is morally correct in a society where environmentalism has become the new religion, a dogmatic cult that holds little tolerance for anyone who differs in opinion over such holy tenets, however impotent in real-world terms, as the Kyoto protocol per se, that such believers are heretics and should either be converted or blotted out of existence, a new world crusade in action.
While such an ozone-defying attitude is hardly Chrysler Group's company line, after all, it is developing a line of hybrid models as we speak and is a leader in clean diesel-powered vehicles,
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| No-one has ever driven a new HEMI-powered Chrysler Group car with a 6-speed manual shifter before, at least no-one outside of the automaker's Chelsea proving grounds. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
it's Viper-led powerhouse of eleven Street Racing Technology (even the term "Street Racing" is morally taboo) vehicles, including the aforementioned 300C SRT8, plus the Magnum SRT8, Charger SRT8, Grand Cherokee SRT8, Crossfire SRT6, Ram SRT-10, and Neon-based SRT-4 (the Viper SRT-10 Coupe, Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab and Crossfire Roadster SRT6 round out the lineup, by the way), makes any other automaker's high-output nameplate seem pathetically anemic in comparison. This number will grow to an even dozen with the advent of the Challenger SRT8.
If you have had any question of whether such an animal will ever exist, the Challenger Concept is it. Under its long, retrospective hood lays the well documented HEMI-beast, a 6.1-litre powerhouse that, despite its brutish simplicity, or possibly because of it, is one of the most engaging powerplants currently made. And no-one has ever driven one with a manual shifter before, at least no-one outside of the automaker's Chelsea proving grounds. This new model comes with just that, a pistol-grip six-speed stick shift that is sure to stir even more momentum out of the beefy V8.
