1998 Dodge Durango Slt Sport Utility 4-door 5.9l on 2040-cars

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2016 Dodge Viper ACR is ready to take a bite out of the Corvette Z06 [w/video]

The Dodge Viper ACR is back, and as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles tells it, it's the most venomous breed ever born. Before you get too excited, the 8.4-liter V10 produces 645 horsepower; five more than the standard Viper and five less than the supercharged Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It's unclear why Dodge didn't extract more from the huge engine, although we somehow imagine that certain people in Maranello, Italy had a say in the matter. Instead of blessing the ACR variant with bunches of extra output, Dodge instead turned to an aggressive aerodynamics package that it claims delivers nearly a ton of downforce at the Viper's maximum speed of 177 miles per hour. The total aero package includes an adjustable, twin-element, carbon-fiber rear wing, carbon-fiber diffuser, an extendable front splitter, and dive planes. Those big louvers on the hood? Yeah, they're removable, too. The "race-tuned" suspension uses coil-over Bilstein shocks that offer ten different settings and up to three inches of height adjustment. Kumho Ecsta V720 tires were built specifically for the Viper ACR, and come in 355/30 in back and 295/25 in front, with 19-inch wheels at all four corners. Along with the aero improvements, Dodge is claiming the Viper can pull a race-car-like 1.5Gs in higher-speed turns. Carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers add the stopping power that's greater or equal to the ACR's cornering performance. Dodge was also keen to reduce weight, taking some rather dramatic measures in the effort. The stereo has just three speakers, while the electric function was removed from the seats. Even the carpet has been replaced with a "lightweight" alternative. Finally, Dodge is offering up the innovative 1 of 1 customization it pioneered with the Viper GT earlier this year. That means that not only can you get the fastest Viper ever built, but it'll be entirely your own when you take delivery.

Will the Dodge Charger keep a gas engine? It's always been a possibility

The automotive rumormill has been working at a frenetic pace ever since images of what's thought to be the upcoming Dodge Charger Daytona body-in-white hit the internet a week or so ago. When we initially posted the pictures, which had been uploaded to various social media channels and web forums, we took immediate note of the presence of an unmistakable transmission tunnel. We wondered out loud (virtually, at least) "if there have been some changes to battery and component layout, or if this is to allow for an internal-combustion powertrain option early on." Well, if you believe a report from "a source connected to a supplier with firsthand information of Dodge's production plans" who reportedly "agreed to speak about the next-gen Charger program in exchange for anonymity" to The Drive, that transmission tunnel is for — you guessed it! — a transmission. An upcoming and updated version of the eight-speed automatic currently in use in any number of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles, to be specific, hooked up to the Hurricane-branded inline-six-cylinder engine that debuted under the hood of the Jeep Wagoneer. That engine is destined to replace the Hemi-branded V8 engines that have admirably served across the Stellantis portfolio for just about as long as anyone can remember. Here's where things get tricky. There's actually zero reason to be surprised that there's a transmission tunnel buried inside the Dodge Charger Daytona. Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis basically said there would be a transmission tunnel a year ago. "I've been very transparent that our next cars are built on the STLA Large platform, and the STLA Large is a multi-energy platform," he said. He further reinforced the point, adding, "I can put an ICE engine in there. Doesn't mean we're going to. We're certainly not launching with anything like that." Removing all further doubt about the matter, Kuniskis concluded, "We're launching with full battery-electric and we think that by the time we get to that point the offering we're going to have is going to be really attractive in the marketplace. If some day we want to add ICE to that car, could we? It's totally [possible], but maybe we'll never get there." Is there any way to reconcile the information anonymously provided to The Drive with the statements made earlier by Dodge honchos? Sure. It's entirely possible that we don't know all the vehicles, or the names of those vehicles, that will be built atop the STLA Large platform.

Junkyard Gem: 1964 Dodge Dart station wagon

The Chrysler A Platform, built from the 1960 through 1976 model years for the North American market (and for a few years beyond that in Australia and Latin America), was one of Chrysler's greatest hits, if not the greatest hit. We know these cars best as the 1963-1976 Dodge Dart and the 1960-1976 Plymouth Valiant, and they established a reputation for reliability matched only by the likes of the Mercedes-Benz W123 diesel. I still see many of these cars during my junkyard wanderings, but A-Body wagons have become very rare. Here's a tattered '64 Dart wagon that I spotted in a self-service wrecking yard in San Jose, California. 1964 was the first model year for factory-installed V8 engines in the Dart and Valiant (and the Valiant's sporty sibling, the Barracuda), and the 273-cubic-inch pushrod V8 was a sturdy powerplant indeed. The slant-6 engine, though less powerful, went into most of these cars, and for good reason: It was harder to kill than all the world's cockroaches and rats put together. This car would have come with a 170- or 225-cubic-inch version of the slant-6, optimistically rated at either 101 or 145 gross horsepower (probably about 55 horses at the wheels), but I didn't feel like scraping sludge off casting numbers to see if it's on its first or 11th engine. In any case, slant-6 Darts were on the pokey side but would get you to your destination every time. This one has a lot of rust for a California car (in New Hampshire or Wisconsin, it would be considered pretty solid) and the interior is more or less obliterated, so even dedicated station-wagon lovers wouldn't have been motivated to take it on as a restoration project. So another early Dart is poised to be stuffed into The Crusher, for reasons that make good economic sense. This still makes us sad, though. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Here's the compact you've been waiting for!