1969 Dodge Dart Gt Convertible 2-door 4.5l on 2040-cars

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Dodge's divisive splitter guards are now pink and might become black

There is an infinite amount of real problems out there in the world, but for some reason, one of the most dividing issues in the car community relates to a piece of protective plastic on cars. Yes, splitter guards. Since the plastic parts were introduced to SRT variants of the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger for 2015, the enthusiast community has been split like a '63 'Vette on the merits and aesthetics of not removing them. Originally, the protectors, which are there to protect the splitter while the car is in transit to dealers, were yellow, which contributed to their popularity. But Dodge has now shifted that color to pink, as Car & Driver reported and Autoblog confirmed.  On one side, upset purists beg they be removed from the cars. They were only put on to protect the vehicles' lower front fascias during shipping and handling, and if left on too long, they will collect dirt and grit and damage the new paint. SRT lead designer Mark Trostle is included in this camp and is quoted saying, "I wish they would take them off." On the other side, there are people who enjoy the contrasting look and see it as a way to stand out or be different.  "Yes, they are designed to be removed before delivery," said Tim Kuniskis, global head of Alfa Romeo and head of passenger cars for Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, FIAT, FCA for North America, in an email to Autoblog. "But today, they have their own Facebook page, and many of our performance enthusiasts have active debates on whether to keep or remove them. Some owners say they are even selling them in the aftermarket!"  The Facebook page he speaks of is called "Hey Pal, You Forgot To Take Your Splitter Guards Off." The private group was started on April 11, 2019, and as of this writing, it is 11,855 members strong. With FCA recently changing the guards to pink, that number will likely continue to grow. "Obviously, they weren't part of the original design," Kuniskis said. "We started with yellow guards and shifted to pink, but they are still so popular that we may shift them yet again to black. Wherever we land, this is another example of how our customers are passionate about every part of their Dodge muscle cars — from the high-horsepower engines that power Charger and Challenger to the splitter guards designed to protect them, so we expect the conversation to continue."  Yellow, pink, black, purple, rainbow, whatever. People will like what they like and hate what they hate. Just do you, and keep the negativity away.

Dodge vs. Chevy tug-of-war taken to the extreme

They say "idle hands are the devil's playground," but said playgrounds grow to Disney-sized proportions when a pair of jacked-up trucks, two egos, a chain and an empty mall parking lot are involved. Proof of this is the video below, which shows a Cummins-powered Dodge Ram circa 2006 to 2008 chained tail-to-tail with what looks to be a gasoline-powered Chevrolet Silverado from the late 1990s or early 2000s.
We don't necessarily have to tell you who wins this battle, but we'll let you see for yourself the lengths the "winning" driver goes to prove his point. There's plenty of foul language in the video below, so beware that this might be Not Safe For Work, and not that we should have to tell you, but please, do not try this at home.

Marchionne nixes talk of a reborn Dodge Viper

UPDATE: According to Automobile Magazine's Todd Lassa, FCA chief Sergio Marchionne shot down the idea of a reborn Viper, saying "it's not in the plan." Marchionne was referring to Fiat Chrysler's five-year plan, which we've been covering in bits and pieces as the news filters out. But it's not out of the realm of possibility, apparently, as Marchionne reportedly said he'd be happy to see the reptilian supercar back in production. And it's not all bad news, anyway. A reborn Alfa Romeo 8C will get a carbon-fiber chassis holding a mid-mounted twin-turbo V6. With more than 700 horsepower, including an electrically-driven front axle, the car should hit 62 mph in fewer than 3 seconds. Also, three versions of a Maserati Alfieri will be produced, including a convertible. An electrified all-wheel-drive powertrain is planned. So, performance is coming from FCA, it just may not be from Dodge. View 36 Photos First came the mourning for the Dodge Viper, which ended production last year. Then came the Viper's continued sales run as a "Zombie Car;" we just wrote about how the Viper has racked up 11 sales so far this year, two of them in April. Now Car and Driver reports that the two-seater snake will return shorty for its second encore after being discontinued in 2009. The mag isn't equivocal about it, either, writing, "trust us: A new Viper is happening." It won't, however, be the same Viper that brought ten-cylinder brass knuckles to shake down other coupes for their wallets and jewelry. CD says we should expect the same front-mid-engine layout and rear-wheel drive tucked into a new spaceframe. That engine will lose two cylinders, with Chrysler's next-gen, aluminum-block V8 Hemi slotting into the engine bay. The previous Viper's V10 had grown to 8.4 liters and 640 horsepower by the time it drove into the sunset. CD guesses the coming Viper will start with a naturally-aspirated version of the Hemi V8 working up around 550 horsepower. Healthy doses of aluminum and carbon fiber would restrain the car's weight, on top of the weight loss from swapping an iron V10 for an aluminum V8. SRT could tart up the horsepower with a few performance trims, before a supercharged V8 with 700-plus horsepower arrives at some point after launch. The mag also suspects the initial offering will be a convertible, the hardtop appearing "a few years after launch," which could coincide with the more powerful engine. A row-your-own shifter will sit between the seats.