Dodge marks Mopar parts brand’s 80th year with special-edition Challenger

By Stephen Edelstein Published February 10, 2017

One of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) most iconic brands doesn’t even make cars at all.

That brand is Mopar, the accessories division whose name is a portmanteau of “motor” and “parts,” which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. In honor of the milestone, FCA unveiled a special-edition Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show. It’s actually the eighth in a series of Mopar-edition models, stretching back to 2010.

Recommended Videos

The Mopar treatment starts with the exterior. The special edition gets a two-tone paint job, with a Pitch Black roof and Contusion Blue or Billet Silver lower body. Dodge will only build 80 copies in each color scheme, in reference tp Mopar’s 80th anniversary. The Pitch Black color and a “Mopar 392” logo are hand applied to the body. The car also features 20-inch wheels, black exhaust tips from the Challenger SRT Hellcat, and a “Shaker” hood straight out of the 1970s.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The Mopar ’17 Challenger isn’t all show. It comes equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 used in “SRT 392” versions of the Challenger. The Hemi cranks out 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. The Mopar ’17 edition also gets a cold air intake, strut tower brace, and Brembo brakes.

The interior features sport seats with Mopar logos and contrast stitching, the latter of which adorns the door panels and other parts of the interior. A serialized badge is also mounted under the hood to confirm that the car is something special. Buyers also get an “Owner’s Kit” that includes, among other things, a signed rendering from the FCA U.S. Product Design Office, and a “birth certificate” showing the car’s specifications and date of manufacture.

The Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger arrives in dealerships later this year. The price for this rolling piece of Mopar memorabilia is $55,790. That’s about $10,000 more than a 2017 Challenger 392 Scat Pack shaker, which has the same engine and the Shaker hood scoop. Apparently, that’s the price of exclusivity.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Costco, Electrify America add EV-charging stations in three states

costco electrify america add 50 ev charging stations in three states ea chargers 1280

Costco, which had abandoned offering EV charging 12 years ago, is getting serious about resuming the service.

Over a month ago, the big-box retailer once again put its brand name on a DC fast-charging station in Ridgefield, Washington, that was made by Electric Era .

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.