Fully Restored1972 Dodge Dart Swinger Hardtop 2-door 5.2l on 2040-cars

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Mopar teases a big Hemi crate engine for SEMA

Mopar has released a new video teaser hinting at the release of a large and powerful crate Hemi engine at SEMA later this month in Las Vegas. The video functions like a lesson on symbolism in an English lit class. It opens with smoke and settles on a pair of backlit, large-clawed paw prints that look to be feline in origin. Then we hear earth-shaking pounding sounds of something larger than the paw prints that stomps over them. Then cue an overhead shot of what looks to be a vintage-model Dodge Charger and its growly Hemi engine entering the frame and then gunning the engine. Mopar already offers three crate Hemi V8 engines, topped by the 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat, good for 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, found in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and marketed for pre-1976 classic muscle cars. So promising that "Something big is coming" is really saying something. Could it be a crate version of the 808-hp Hemi 6.2 that was found in the Dodge Demon, which was rated at 840 hp on racing fuel? Or is it something different? Curiously, Mopar says its reveal is planned for Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the odd time of 4:26 p.m. Could that time be a reference to the 426 Hemi — and specifically the Generation III 426 Hemi "Elephant" that Chrysler made several years ago? That technically qualifies as "bigger," and it would also align with both the muscle car-era Charger and round, earth-shaking footprints shown in the video. Time will prove whether we were right. Related Video: Image Credit: Mopar SEMA Show Chrysler Dodge Performance Classics dodge demon dodge charger srt hellcat

As Dodge Challenger changes, hybrid or however else, it's sure to stay retro

Unverified rumors claim Dodge will make major technical changes to the Charger and the Challenger (pictured) to comply with looming regulations. They'll likely be lighter than they currently are, they could get smaller in nearly every direction, and you can safely bet that they'll incorporate some degree of electrification. The retro-inspired, heritage-laced design is here to stay, however. Mark Trostle, Dodge's horsepower-addicted chief of design, told Muscle Car & Trucks that looks deserve a big chunk of credit for making the Charger and the Challenger as popular as they are. Horsepower and quarter-mile times help sell cars, but it's the "magic of their design" that lures buyers into showrooms to check out the modern-day muscle cars in the metal. "I wouldn't want to ruin something that's been so successful for us," Trostle concluded. He compared the Challenger to the Jeep Wrangler, another design icon in the Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) portfolio. The offroader entered its fourth generation in 2018; every part of it is new, and it's not a Xerox copy of its predecessor, but it's still immediately recognizable as a Wrangler. Trostle hinted he's planning this type of evolutionary design for the next-generation Challenger. After all, it's part of the company's history, and heritage is something no amount of money can buy.  While it sounds like development work on the next-generation Challenger is ongoing, Dodge isn't finished with the current-generation car yet. The nameplate will celebrate its 50th birthday during the 2020 model year, and it's reasonable to assume Dodge has something special planned for it.

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Dodge Aries America LE Station Wagon

During the late 1970s, Chrysler appeared doomed as outdated car designs and a second catastrophic oil crisis caused by Middle Eastern conflict hammered sales. Chrysler had some successful economy cars made by Mitsubishi or based on Simca designs, but the need for an efficient, modern front-wheel-drive platform grew desperate. After a government bailout in 1979 bought some time, CEO Lee Iacocca masterminded the creation of the all-new K Platform, which hit showrooms for the 1981 model year. The first two K-Cars, the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries, were big sales successes, and Chrysler went on building vehicles based on the platform through 1995. Here's an example of the later Aries wagon, found in a Phoenix self-service wrecking yard. The "true" K-Cars were the Aries, the Plymouth Reliant, the Chrysler LeBaron, and the Dodge 400. They have become very rare in wrecking yards today, so I honor their historical significance by documenting the ones I find. During my junkyard expeditions, I have photographed this '81 Aries wagon, this '81 Reliant wagon, this '82 Aries wagon, this '82 400 coupe, this '82 LeBaron convertible, this '83 Aries sedan, this '83 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '85 LeBaron woodie convertible, this '86 Aries sedan, this '86 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '86 Reliant wagon, and this '89 Reliant coupe. The early K-Cars could be purchased with optional Mitsubishi Astron 2.6-liter four-cylinder (complete with "HEMI 2.6" badging), but in 1988, the choices were down to a 93-horsepower 2.2-liter Chrysler-built four-cylinder or a 2.5-liter version of the same engine rated at 96 horses and 13 extra pound-feet of torque. This car has the 2.2. The "America LE" trim level was the only one available for the 1988 Aries, and it resulted in a fairly Spartan car. Tough, scratchy cloth upholstery and lots of hard plastic were the order of the day. The MSRP on this car started at $7,695, or about $16,770 in 2018 dollars. That's a lot of car for that kind of money. For comparison, the rear-wheel-drive (and much bigger) 1988 Pontiac Safari wagon went for nearly twice that price. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. By 1988, the Aries wagon was looking pretty old, but it was a bargain.