1968 Dodge Polara on 2040-cars

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2018 Dodge Challenger GT Drivers' Notes Review | The right car for the season

Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: Dodge uses the Challenger GT trim to denote its V6 all-wheel-drive model, but it seems apt for reasons besides that. The Challenger, even with a V6, is an excellent, affordable American grand tourer. It's still extremely stylish, despite barely changing looks since Dodge introduced it for the 2008 model year. The solid gray on this one was particularly attractive. It also seemed appropriate considering the Challenger's battleship size. This thing is truly massive. That's beneficial in the sense that it has an enormous trunk (perfect for touring), but not so much for maneuvering. But thankfully, it's easy to spot the corners, which helps a lot. The Challenger GT is a pretty able handler, too. It feels composed in corners, not too heavy, only mild body roll, and steering that weights up very naturally. The ride is relatively comfortable. It takes the edge off of most pavement imperfections, but you feel more than you might expect. So the Dodge Challenger GT has the style, space, and a decent balance of sportiness and comfort — which just leaves one thing left to address, the powertrain. And as it turns out, the V6 actually works quite nicely in the big Dodge. Under full throttle, you get an angry, throaty honk from the intake that, while not as smooth and classic as a V8, is still fairly satisfying. It also has more than adequate acceleration, if not exhilarating. It's a combo that makes not only a fun affordable GT car, but just a solid commuter with an extra dose of style. The only caveat is that if you need something more truly sporty, you may still want to look at a Camaro or Mustang. Associate Editor Reese Counts: I spent the latter half of last week in Idaho and Wyoming driving a pretty sweet Nissan 370Z in the snow. That car was equipped with tracks and skis and allowed me to do some pretty dumb things with few repercussions, though it was one of the loudest and most uncomfortable cars I've ever driven. Coming home to Detroit and a Destroyer Grey Challenger GT was a very nice change of pace. The thing is, this car is still plenty capable in the snow. I like the Challenger quite a bit, especially in the bonkers Hellcat and Demon guise. But not everyone needs a 700-plus horsepower brute that guzzles gas with a nearly unequalled thirst. The Challenger GT checks a lot of boxes. It looks good, it's comfortable, roomy and thanks to all-wheel drive, genuinely usable year round.

Awesomely '80s time-capsule Dodge Daytona Turbo on Bring a Trailer

From the humble K-car, Chrysler in the 1980s was able to spin out all manner of variants, including some fairly credible (for the time) performance machines. One of the most ambitious was the Dodge Daytona Turbo, and a rarely seen example in near-new condition is selling today on Bring a Trailer. [UPDATE: The car was bid to $9,300 but failed to meet reserve. It is now for sale on the dealer's website with an asking price of $19,900.] The Daytona Turbo featured a 2.2-liter four to which was bolted a Garrett To3 turbocharger, bringing output to 143 horses and 160 pound-feet. Naturally, it's paired with a five-speed stick. And dig that black-and-white checkerboard cloth interior, with four bucket seats. The story is that the car was purchased new in Kansas, and that after driving it for two years, the original owner put his prized Daytona up on jack stands and stored it in a climate-controlled garage. This Dodge now has just over 5,000 miles on the clock. If all of the above sounds enticing, you'll be powerless to resist after watching the launch commercial for the Daytona. BaT commenter "Himselvis" posted a link to the 2-minute cinematic masterpiece, which is equal parts "Blade Runner" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Some heavy-duty talent was brought to bear on the project, as he recounts: "The director, Bill Butler, was the cinematographer on 'Jaws,' 'Deliverance,' 'Grease,' and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.' Production designer Jim Spencer had worked on 'Gremlins,' 'Poltergeist,' and 'Stripes.' Director of photography David Watkin shot 'Out of Africa,' the BeatlesÂ’ 'HELP!' and 'Chariots of Fire.' The voiceover was provided by Billy Dee Williams." And the actor was from "Hot Dog the Movie." But the real star is the car, of course. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

FCA seeks partner to keep building Dodge Dart, Chrysler 200

Mere weeks after FCA announced it was shutting down production of the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200, new hope emerges to give the sedans a stay of execution. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show last week, Sergio Marchionne said that the company was looking for a partner "who is better at it than we are and who has got capacity available" in order to continue building the models on its behalf. "There are discussions going on now," said Marchionne, according to Motor Trend. "I think we will find a solution. We continue to talk. It's both a technical solution and an economic one. We need to find a solution that works economically." Contracting vehicles to be manufactured offsite is more common practice among European automakers than it is with American ones. Chrysler's former patron Mercedes, for example, has the G-Class built for it by Magna Steyr in Austria, the A-Class by Valmet in Finland, and the R-Class by AM General in Indiana (even though it's no longer sold in the US). This arrangement would, on the surface at least, appear more similar to the deal that Toyota struck with Mazda to build the Scion iA, drawing on the contractor's expertise and capacity to build the small sedan on the client company's behalf. Only rather than basing a new model on one of the partner's existing ones, this deal would ostensibly continue building FCA models on FCA platforms using FCA components. We'll have to wait to find out with whom FCA strikes up the manufacturing deal, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Marchionne turn to a partner he already knows. The company is, after all, at the center of an intricate web of joint ventures and manufacturing contracts. The Fiat 124 Spider, for example, is built by Mazda. The Fiat Sedici that preceded the 500X was built by Suzuki. Models like the Dodge Stealth and Eagle Talon were built in Illinois at the Diamond-Star Motors joint venture before Mitsubishi took it over altogether. And Dodge continued selling the Mercedes-made Sprinter long after DaimlerChrysler split. The Ram ProMaster, though built by FCA in Mexico for the North American market, stems from a partnership in France with PSA Peugeot Citroen. And the ProMaster City is built in a joint-venture plant in Turkey, from which it's also sold by GM as an Opel in Europe and a Vauxhall in the UK. With all those deals coming and going, after all, what would one more add to the complexity?