2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Slt on 2040-cars

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China own a Detroit automaker? Would the U.S. let that happen?

The news that several Chinese automakers want to buy Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and that one has even made an offer, elicits some mixed feelings. On one hand, as some have pointed out, it could be a win-win both for China and for FCA's American workers, ensuring the company's survival and opening new markets. On the other hand, this is China, whose trade relationship with the U.S. is the source of considerable scrutiny from the Trump administration — and whose not-a-friend, not-an-enemy status is particularly difficult to gauge right now during heightened tensions with its client state North Korea. So would such a deal pass regulatory muster? One reason that springs to mind for blocking any sale has to do with national security. Chrysler's role as a military supplier dates back to Dodge trucks used by Gen. Blackjack Pershing to chase Pancho Villa in Mexico, and shortly thereafter by American forces in World War I. The Detroit Three automakers were, of course, mainstays of the Arsenal of Democracy of World War II. Even before U.S. entry into the war in December 1941, America's industrial machinery went into overdrive, and Chrysler was one of the biggest cogs. It engineered and built the M3, Sherman and Pershing tanks and trucks for Gen. George Patton's Redball Express. It helped develop a radar-guided antiaircraft gun that knocked German bombers and V1 rockets out of the sky — on one day, shooting down 97 of 101 V1s headed for London. On D-Day, the radar system helped thwart Luftwaffe counterattacks on the beaches of Normandy, and it later helped Allied forces break out at the Battle of the Bulge. Chrysler redesigned the Wright Cyclone engines used by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the plane that firebombed Tokyo and dropped the atomic bombs that ended the war. Chrysler even played a secret role refining uranium in Oak Ridge, Tenn., that was used in the Hiroshima bomb and in the ensuing Cold War arms race. It worked on military missiles and was NASA's prime contractor for the Saturn V rocket that put men on the moon. More recently, Chrysler produced the M1 Abrams tank. And of course Chrysler is the keeper of the flame for Jeep, a 75-plus-years military legacy handed down from Bantam and Willys to Kaiser to AMC to Chrysler. The point of this history lesson is to note that in times of war or national emergency, America's industrial might has been called to serve, and may well be called on again.

2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 gets race-focused upgrades

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is one hell of a machine. It's a single-minded 840-horsepower jackhammer, meant solely to burn rubber and win drag races. It's packed with all sorts of goodies like a transbrake, line lock, and a torque reserve mode. Still, it was an extremely limited-production model. It's also sold out. What do you do if you want some fun on the drag strip and you can't find our don't need the power of a Demon? Buy the new 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. You can really think of the Scat Pack 1320 as a Demon without the wide bodywork and the supercharged 6.2-liter V8. Instead, you'll find Dodge's tried-and-true 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated V8 under the hood making 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. The TorqueFlite 8HP70 eight-speed automatic is the only available transmission. It's required equipment to use the TransBrake and Torque Reserve system. All-four wheels are wrapped in Nexen SUR4G Drag Spec 275/40R20 street-legal drag radial tires. The 1320 names comes from the length of a quarter-mile drag strip — 1,320 feet. The Scat Pack 1320 can run the quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds at 115 mph and hits 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Of course, that's in its lightest configuration. Like the Demon, the Scat Pack 1320 only comes with a driver's seat. The passenger and rear seats are each $1 options. The goal was to give grassroots racers a bare-bones performance car at a relatively reasonable price. You don't need passengers if you're only racing. You also shave 114 pounds from the car's curb weight. Other upgrades include an SRT-tuned suspension, a 3.09 rear axle ratio, 41-spline rear half-shafts, 20 x 9.5-inch aluminum-forged wheels with knurled bead seats (to keep the tires from slipping on the rim) and upgraded Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers. The Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 joins a number of other upgraded 2019 Dodge models. That includes the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the upgraded 2019 Charger SRT Hellcat. The Scat Pack 1320 adds $3,995 to the Challenger R/T Scat Pack's base MSRP. That's not the whole story. Since the automatic is mandatory, you need to tack on another $1,595. Add in destination, and the Scat Pack 1320 will set you back at least $45,980. Cars will hit dealer lots early next year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2016 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRTs look juicy in Go Mango

The 2016 Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT models are ready to go with newly available Go Mango orange paint. The carrot-like shade is the latest in the brand's long line of vibrant, throwback colors like Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green. Dealers can start order the bright hue right now. Dodge originally introduced Go Mango on the 1970 Challenger and also offered the color on the 2006 Charger R/T Daytona and 2016 Dart. Now, it's available on the SRT 392 and Hellcat models. The orange shade highlights the vehicles' lines well and looks especially good with black stripes running from the front splitter to the rear bumper like in these photos. There's no way to blend into traffic in such a vibrant muscle car, so this hue is for extroverts only. Last year at the Woodward Dream Cruise, Dodge brought back Plum Crazy on most Challenger and Charger models. The deep purple is a nice enough color, but Go Mango seems like a better fit for the SRT's performance-oriented demeanor. Related Video: Go Mango: Dodge Launches Modernized Exterior Heritage Color for 2016 Challenger and Charger SRT Muscle Cars Dodge continues to answer enthusiast demand with the latest heritage-inspired exterior paint color Dealers can begin ordering Go Mango immediately on Charger and Challenger SRT models March 14, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - "Plum Crazy" purple, "B5 Blue" and "Sublime" green Dodge Charger and Challenger muscle cars have recently been streaming out of the FCA US Brampton Assembly Plant, bringing a sense of nostalgia and powerful bursts of high-impact paint color to highways and dragstrips across the country. Now, new for spring 2016 and shown for the first time this past weekend at the 11th annual Spring Festival in Irvine, Calif., Dodge is expanding its color palette with a new, modernized version of Go Mango exterior paint on 2016 Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT models. Dealers can begin ordering Go Mango immediately. Go Mango was first introduced by Dodge on the iconic 1970 Challenger. Following a limited production run in 2006 on specific Charger R/T Daytona models, and more recently featured on the 2016 Dodge Dart, the next generation of the legendary and limited-edition exterior hue combines orange and red tones into a high-impact color that showcases the legendary Dodge performance attitude.