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2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak costs over $140,000

Although the 2021 Dodge Challenger Super Stock is the most powerful and most expensive Challenger you can buy for the street, Dodge has an even more beastly, and more expensive, version that's only for track and racing use. It's the 2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, shown last year, and it rings in at $143,485, not including destination fee or taxes. That money could buy you a Super Stock and a basic Hellcat, and both of those could be driven to the local cruise-in. But the Drag Pak features a special supercharged 5.8-liter engine built for racing. While Dodge hasn't given exact power numbers, we know the last Drag Pak from 2015 made a whopping 1,200 horsepower. The new Drag Pak of course also gets other drag racing equipment such as a manually-shiftable three-speed automatic, solid rear axle, roll cage, drag tires, a wheelie bar and a parachute. This all means that a Drag Pak will thoroughly stomp any road-legal Challenger at the drag strip. The Drag Pak has exclusivity on its side, too. Dodge is only going to build 50. If you want a shot at one, you or your dealer will have to call into Dodge/SRT Concierge to register for the chance to order one. The phone number is 800-998-1110, and they're taking phone calls as of today. Order books open on September 9. Related Video:

Happy Halloween, cats and kittens!

Happy Halloween, everybody. There's no real Hellcat news in this post. No growl of the second-scariest Dodge Challenger SRT's 707-horsepower engine, no shriek of its supercharger. Just a Hellcat on a photo shoot. A little eye candy on Halloween. In a graveyard. With a black cat. (No cats were doomed to hell in the making of this feature.) But a Hellcat is a good kind of scary, so here are some of our previous galleries. And may a Hellcat cross your path soon. View 18 Photos View 17 Photos View 80 Photos Related Video:

Are supercars becoming less special?

There's little doubt that we are currently enjoying the golden age of automotive performance. Dozens of different models on sale today make over 500 horsepower, and seven boast output in excess of 700 hp. Not long ago, that kind of capability was exclusive to supercars – vehicles whose rarity, performance focus, and requisite expense made them aspirational objects of desire to us mortals. But more than that, supercars have historically offered a unique driving experience, one which was bespoke to a particular model and could not be replicated elsewhere. But in recent years, even the low-volume players have been forced to find the efficiencies and economies of scale that formerly hadn't been a concern for them, and in turn the concept of the supercar as a unique entity unto itself is fading fast. The blame doesn't fall on one particular manufacturer nor a specific production technique. Instead, it's a confluence of different factors that are chipping away at the distinction of these vehicles. It's not all bad news – Lamborghini's platform sharing with Audi for the Gallardo and the R8 yielded a raging bull that was more reliable and easier to live with on a day-to-day basis, and as a result it went on to become the best-selling Lambo in the company's history. But it also came at the cost of some of the Italian's exclusivity when eerily familiar sights and sounds suddenly became available wearing an Audi badge. Even low-volume players have been forced to find economies of scale. Much of this comes out of necessity, of course. Aston Martin's recent deal with Mercedes-AMG points toward German hardware going under the hood and into the cabin of the upcoming DB11, and it's safe to assume that this was not a decision made lightly by the Brits, as the brand has built a reputation for the bespoke craftsmanship of its vehicles. There's little doubt that the DB11 will be a fine automobile, but the move does jeopardize some of the characteristic "specialness" that Astons are known for. Yet the world is certainly better off with new Aston Martins spliced with DNA from Mercedes-AMG rather than no new Astons at all, and the costs of developing cutting-edge drivetrains and user interfaces is a burden that's becoming increasingly difficult for smaller manufacturers to bear. Even Ferrari is poised to make some dramatic changes in the way it designs cars.