2002 Dodge Stratus Sxt Coupe 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Dodge Challenger ACR rumored finally on its way using Viper ACR as benchmark

In 1995, Dodge released the ACR Neon, an unlikely combination of cheap, compact American sedan and high-performance parts and engineering marked by initials standing for American Club Racer. Dodge sold a heap of them, so the automaker flexed the ACR brand's potential with the first ACR Viper in 1999. The racy coupes made huge noise for Dodge and the Viper. After the fourth-gen Viper ended production in 2010, Dodge took a Challenger ACR concept to SEMA in 2011. But instead of carrying the coupe to production, Dodge resurrected the Viper for 2013 and got one more Viper ACR model out during the last Viper's final years. With the Viper gone again, it appears Dodge is sorting out that Challenger ACR concept for real. Last October, Mopar Insiders reported the automaker was trying to get a Challenger ACR prepared for the model's 50th anniversary this year. The timing looks highly unlikely, but an Allpar source says the track-happy coupe is still coming, and with bonkers expectations and gear. We're talking about a big-boi widebody Challenger tuned to do hard laps, fast, around twisty circuits, all day long. An Allpar insider known as "Muther," a code name to tug at John le Carre's heart, said Dodge is considering two engines. Because the point of the car is to be raced and some series don't accept forced induction, one trim would fit the naturally aspirated 392 Hemi from the R/T Scat Pack. There's no telling if that motor would get a power bump, but the Challenger ACR concept upped its output slightly with measures like a cat-back exhaust. The other trim, naturally, would fit the 6.2-liter Hellcat Redeye V8.     Muther told Allpar that if engineers can get the car under 4,000 pounds, the math points to being within two seconds of the time set by the Viper ACR-E at Road America. That "E" represents the Extreme Aero Package, with addenda like a deeper front splitter, dive planes, and an adjustable, dual-element rear wing that helped the Viper ring up 14 lap records on U.S. tracks. The fastest time we know of for a Viper at Road America is from 2011, factory race driver Kuno Wittmer doing 2:20 even in a Gen IV Viper ACR. Wittmer's ride weighed 3,408-pounds. Dodge boffins want to get the Challenger ACR under 4,000 pounds. Achieving the weight goal would mean cutting at least 387 pounds from a standard R/T Scat Pack Widebody, and 512 pounds from the Hellcat Redeye Widebody if that trim has the same target.

1970 Hemi Challenger is a family heirloom with serious muscle

Petrolicious turns up the emotion in its latest video about a family's connection to their 1970 Dodge Challenger. The orange muscle car that gets the spotlight here is a remarkably beautiful vehicle, but the story of a father and his sons at the core of this clip might leave you feeling a little misty eyed. Juan Escalante is the current owner of this Challenger, but it belonged to his dad first. Juan's father spotted the iconic muscle car during the 1969 Detroit Auto Show and had to have one. He soon placed an order for the orange '70 Challenger R/T with the rare combination for that year of a 426 Hemi V8 and a four-speed manual gearbox. The family even brought the coupe with them when they moved to Venezuela in 1972, and local fans dubbed it El Hemi. However, parts were scarce for the muscle car in that country, and it returned to the US in 1996 for a restoration. Now, the rumbling Challenger with its Coke-bottle profile and black hood is the world's most awesome family heirloom for the Escalantes. In this poignant video, Petrolicious shows how the coupe connects Juan to his father. Related Video:

Here's how to build the Hellcat-powered Dodge Magnum/Charger widebody wagon of your dreams

Dodge would undoubtedly offer a fire-breathing, Hellcat-powered variant of the Magnum if the model was still in production. It retired in 2008, and it's not coming back anytime soon, so Las Vegas-based tuner Jaye Fab is taking the matter into its own hands. It's developing a conversion kit that transforms an unsuspecting Magnum into a wide-bodied Charger wagon, and it plans to make it available to the public in the near future. If the name Jaye Fab sounds familiar, it's likely because it already made headlines in 2015 when it grafted the front end of a Charger onto a Magnum, gave the wagon a coat of can't-miss-it red paint, and drove it to SEMA. Its latest project takes the concept of a modern-day Dodge wagon a step further with a full body kit that includes wide fender flares and side skirts, among other add-ons. It's a work in progress, but we can already tell it's going to turn more than a few heads when it's finished. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We don't know which engine the donor Magnum was powered by when it drove into Jaye Fab's shop. What's more interesting is the one it will leave with: a supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 from a Charger. The eight-cylinder develops 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque in its standard configuration, and we wouldn't be surprised if it picks up a few additional horses before Jaye Fab lets it loose on the streets of Las Vegas. The firm has done a stellar job at documenting the build on its Instagram account, and AutoEvolution learned it plans to make the kit available to Magnum owners who want a more modern-looking front end in the not-too-distant future. The mighty Hellcat V8 isn't included, but Mopar sells crate engines in search for tires to roast.