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Dodge Challenger ADR prototypes spied with massive rubber

In an effort to give the Dodge Challenger one last hurrah before making the switch to the Giorgio platform in 2018, Automotive News reports that the automaker will come out with the Challenger ADR. The ADR, which stands for American Drag Racer, is expected to be a wide-body, Hellcat-powered variant that is closely based off of the current model. The report seems to have merit, as photographers have captured Challenger prototypes testing with massive tires. The prototypes look extremely similar to the current Challenger SRT Hellcat with the same hood scoop, front fascia design, rear spoiler construction, and rear end. The white and purple vehicles, though, are wearing extremely wide tires. The extra-wide rubber on the prototypes appear to have a similar tread design as the ones found on the Dodge Viper ACR, which features the grippy Kumho Ecsta V720. While the ACR wears 295 mm tires at the front, the car's rear tires are massive at 355 mm. The tires found on the prototype don't appear to be as large as the ones found on the ACR, but are expected to be larger than the current Challenger SRT Hellcat's, which are Pirelli P Zero Neros measuring 275 mm at all four corners. The Challenger ADR, with its wider, stickier tires is expected to cater to drivers that are looking to put all of the supercharged 6.2-liter V8's power to the ground. The rear-wheel-drive ADR is expected to come with a wide-body kit, which is missing from the prototypes. The Hellcat-powered, wide-body Challenger ADR is expected to make an appearance later in 2017, with an all-wheel-drive model (sans Hellcat engine) known as the GT AWD following closely thereafter. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Dodge Challenger ADR Spy Shots View 16 Photos Spy Photos Dodge Coupe Performance prototype testing dodge challenger srt hellcat

Old vs. New: 2014 SRT Viper takes on upgraded 16-year-old Dodge Viper

It's easy to play the "Would you rather have a New X or an Old Y with a bunch of upgrades?" game more often than we care to admit, but the crew at Car and Driver have taken bench racing to the next level with their latest video. In it, the magazine pits a brand-new 2014 SRT Viper against a highly modified 1997 Dodge Viper GTS. There are 16 years between the time this particular GTS rolled off the production line and when the new car bowed, but that doesn't mean the old snake's owners have been sitting on their hands.
Thanks to a spate of modifications, the GTS offers up a better power to weight ratio than the new machine, but is that enough to overcome the technological leap forward represented by the 2014 Viper? We won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to check out the full clip below for yourself.

Fiat Chrysler and the UAW reach tentative labor deal

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Saturday announced a tentative agreement for a four-year labor contract, a boost for the automaker as it works to merge with France's Groupe PSA. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen, last month announced a planned $50 billion merger to create the world's fourth-largest automaker. The tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler, which is subject to ratification by the union members, follows contracts that the UAW already concluded with Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co. The deal with GM followed a 40-day strike in the United States that virtually shuttered GM's North American operations and cost the automaker $3 billion. The UAW on Saturday said the contract with Fiat Chrysler included a commitment from FCA to invest $9 billion, creating 7,900 new jobs over the course of the four-year contract. Of the $9 billion, $4.5 billion was announced earlier this year, to be invested in five plants and creating 6,500 jobs. Detailed terms of the tentative agreement were not released, but they are expected to echo those under the new contracts with GM and Ford, as the UAW typically uses the first deal as a pattern for the others. "FCA has been a great American success story thanks to the hard work of our members," UAW acting President Rory Gamble said in a statement. "We have achieved substantial gains and job security provisions for the fastest growing auto company in the United States." Ratification is not a sure thing. Rank-and-file UAW members at FCA in 2015 rejected the first version of a contract. In addition, a lawsuit related to a federal corruption probe could also raise doubts among union members about the terms agreed. The federal corruption led GM to file a racketeering lawsuit against FCA, alleging that its rival bribed union officials over many years to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars. FCA has brushed off the lawsuit as groundless. Under the UAW's deal with GM, the automaker agreed to invest $9 billion in the United States, including $7.7 billion directly in its plants, and to create or retain 9,000 UAW jobs. Ford's contract included commitments to invest more than $6 billion in its U.S. plants and to create or retain more than 8,500 UAW jobs. The deals with GM and Ford also created a pathway to full-time employment for temporary workers and left healthcare insurance coverage unchanged.