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2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition celebrates an icon

Fifty years ago, Dodge commissioned Creative Industries to build the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona as a homologation special to satisfy NASCAR rules. The extraterrestrial-looking coupe conquered at the race track, broke records, and frightened any onlooker possessed of a weak constitution; it's claimed that even the carmaker's general manager at the time, Bob McCurry, considered the Charger Daytona the ugliest car he'd ever laid eyes on. Time having worked its magic, Dodge is celebrating the now-iconic Winged Warrior with the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition. The new model goes without a nose cone and vertical stabilizers, but it does loose 717 horsepower from its 6.2-liter supercharged V8, which is 10 more than the standard car. The grunty sedan will be available in four colors: Pitch Black, Triple Nickel, White Knuckle, and B5 Blue exclusive to this model. B5 was the original paint code for a Blue Fire Poly hue available on Dodge and Plymouth products built between 1969 and 1972. Evoking the original as well as highlighting the decklid spoiler on the new Charger, the black, nickel, and blue sedans get white "Daytona" decals on the rear quarter panels and a white spoiler, matching white Hellcat badges on the front fenders. White cars get blue "Daytona" decals and spoiler, and Hellcat badges in a bright finish. Twenty-inch Warp Speed wheels finished in Satin Carbon on all-season Pirellis and black Brembo brakes complete the exterior overhaul. Inside, heated and cooled 12-way adjustable performance seats are trimmed in Nappa leather and Alcantara, with blue cross-stitching joining seatbacks embroidered with the word "Daytona." The flat-bottomed, suede-wrapped steering wheel with silver stitching and "velour-bound" floor mats will only come in this model, the festival of special appointments also including the dynamica suede headliner, carbon fiber instrument panel and bezels, light black chrome trim pieces, and blue stitching on the dash, shifter, center console armrest, and door panels. Dodge will only produce 501 units, said to match the number of cars necessary for NASCAR homologation at the time, and each wears a plaque identifying it as "X out of 501." NASCAR rules in 1969 demanded 500 units, actually — the car Dodge built in 1968 to race was called the Charger 500, in fact. Also, Creative Industries built 503 1969 Charger Daytonas for the U.S. and another 40 for Canada, but who's counting?

Man hits 153 mph on I-75 in Dodge Magnum

A man driving in Michigan took his 2005 Dodge Magnum practically to the limit in the wee hours of the morning on May 19 when the Michigan State Police caught him on radar going 153 miles per hour on Interstate 75 near Detroit. The 21-year-old driver was spotted around 3:00 AM, according to The Detroit News. Michigan State Police First Lieutenant Michael Shaw told Autoblog that officers initially saw the man on radar doing 79 mph in a 70-mph-zone, and they started following him. He eventually clocked 153 mph. However, First Lt. Shaw was clear that there was never a pursuit. "Speeding isn't necessarily a reason to put the public at risk," he said. The situation ended rather abruptly, though. The driver pulled off the interstate and behind a building. He remained in the vehicle, and police arrived and arrested him. According to First Lt. Shaw, the man was driving home from work and alcohol wasn't a factor. The Magnum has been impounded, and the driver was charged with reckless driving. Unfortunately, First Lt. Shaw said that he didn't know what engine was in the wagon, but as enthusiasts, we're curious. After all, the 2005 Magnum RT was governed to 130 mph and the SRT8 wasn't unleashed until 2006, which means either the wagon must've been derestricted to hit such high speeds or that police have the year wrong. We'll let you know if we figure that one out...

Dodge Charger Pursuit nets quickest lap in police car test

We wouldn't advocate trying to outrun the police, no matter what you're driving and no matter what they are. But if you see a Dodge Charger bearing down on you with blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror, you'd better think twice before attempting to flee, because the Charger Pursuit has once again emerged as the fastest police cruiser out there.
In the latest Police Vehicle Evaluation held by the Michigan State Police at Grattan Raceway, Dodge says its new Charger Pursuit AWD posted a lap time of 1:33.85. That's quicker than any of the other law enforcement vehicles present, but also makes it the quickest all-wheel-drive cruiser available to law-enforcement officials. That may not make it the quickest of all time, but that honor belongs to the rear-drive Dodge Charger Pursuit, which cuts a fraction of a second off its AWD counterpart's time with a 1:33.70. But in regions where the extra traction could come in handy, that's as negligible a difference as we've ever seen.
Of course, the annual PVE sessions held by the Michigan State Police take in to account a wide variety of performance tests, including top speed, acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy and ergonomics. The MSP has yet to reveal its full findings from its 2014 model year tests, but we'll be sure to bring them to you when they are published.