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Junkyard Gem: This 1987 Dodge 600 SE Sedan is suspiciously Benz-ish

The K Platform, introduced for the 1981 model year, saved Chrysler from certain bankruptcy. By 1983, a stretched-out K chassis had been developed; the Chrysler version was the E-Class, while Dodge had the 600. These cars have become all but extinct now, so this '87 600 sedan in a Denver-area wrecking yard is a noteworthy Junkyard Gem. Ford explicitly compared the appearance of the late-1970s Granada to that of the Mercedes-Benz W123 in their advertising, and so the ground was broken for Chrysler to make the allusions to Stuttgart machinery even more obvious a few years later. The name of the Chrysler E-Class was about as subtle as a tire iron blow to the kidneys, and the badging on its Dodge 600 sibling left little to the imagination. 600s came from the factory with several variations of the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 engine, as well as the Mitsubishi "Hemi 2.6" four-cylinder. This car has the 2.5 Chrysler engine, rated at 97 horsepower. Base price was $10,553, about $23,500 in 2017 dollars (the cheapest new Mercedes-Benz E-Class cost $38,600 in 1987, so there wasn't much customer overlap between the two cars). The 600s weren't bad cars for the price, though the build quality wasn't quite up to Mercedes-Benz standards. You'll find this thumbtack treatment on most K-Car headliners that still drive today. The interior is all tan and brown, with plenty of tough industro-velour upholstery and not-so-convincing artificial wood. Aluminum-faced home audio equipment was all the rage during the 1980s, and the trend spread to automotive controls. No cassette in this car, but at least it had AM and FM radio (even plain old mono AM radios were still expensive options on many cars as late as 1987, so the standard AM/FM stereo rig in the 600 was an attractive deal). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. You can't beat the 600!

Georgia sheriff buys Dodge Charger Hellcat, and the feds want a refund

A sheriffs office in Georgia recently purchased a new 2018 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It's currently being used and driven by Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway. Now the U.S. Department of Justice wants its money back. All $70,000 of it. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the DOJ described the purchase as extravagant. The purchase was originally approved by the DOJ, with the money coming from asset forfeitures. The government has since questioned whether the car is being used for its intended and stated purpose — undercover and covert operations as well as the Gwinnett County Beat the Heat program. The Beat the Heat program is a nonprofit meant to "to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and illegal street racing" by holding drag nights at local tracks. The Hellcat — along with a 1996 Chevy Impala SS, a 1990 Chevy Corvette and 2004 Volkswagen GLI — are all featured on the Beat the Heat website. All but the Hellcat are privately owned and funded. The DOJ prohibits the use of taxpayer money for "extravagant expenditures" and says the "the vehicle in question is a high-performance vehicle not typically purchased as part of a traditional fleet of law enforcement vehicles." The sheriff's office defended the purchase, stating that Sheriff Conway uses it to commute and "when he participates in field operations, covert and otherwise, with our deputies" and that "Conway maintains that this vehicle is an appropriate purchase, especially for an agency with a $92 million budget and the opportunity this vehicle provides in making our roadways safer." The DOJ has given the sheriff's department until July 31 to repay the money. Gwinnett County intends to comply with the reimbursement. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

What's the deal with Chrysler demanding colleges crush their Vipers? [w/video]

Students and teachers at a Washington community college are up in arms following an order from Chrysler that it must destroy the pre-production Dodge Viper that was donated to the school's automotive technology program ten years ago.
The Viper in question is said to be the fourth off the production line, based on its VIN, and has had its emissions controls disabled, allowing its ten-cylinder engine to produce 600 horsepower, according to a report from Yahoo! Autos. As one of the first Vipers ever produced, the school's AT instructors claim it could be worth $250,000 in a museum, while a local news report purports that Jay Leno once tried to purchase the car, but the sale was prevented by Chrysler.
As pointed out by our friends at Autobytel, though, there are a lot of things in this story that don't quite add up. Immediately noticeable from the news report embedded below - which shows the car at South Puget Sound Community College - is that the car in question is not a 1992 model. When the Viper went on sale in 1992, it was only available as an RT/10 with a (flimsy) soft top, like the red car shown above. But the car featured in the report from KING5 News (inset image) is clearly a hardtop Viper GTS, which didn't enter production until 1996. And even if, as reported by a local newspaper, the hardtop featured is a prototype, it doesn't explain the lack of another iconic feature of the first Vipers - their distinctive side pipes. This kind of pokes holes in the school's argument that this is the fourth Viper to ever roll down the line. At best, this appears to be a pre-production Viper GTS.