1997 Dodge Viper Gts Coupe 2-door 8.0l on 2040-cars

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Dodge pumps power to the people with $10 discount per horsepower

Dodge announced an incentive program named Power Dollars, which represents the next step in its mission to bring horsepower to the people. Starting on August 1, the automaker is luring enthusiasts into its showrooms by offering a $10 per horsepower discount on select models. The Power Dollars program applies to the 2019 Challenger (pictured), the 2019 Charger and the 2019 Durango. It's as simple as it sounds: if you buy a 500-horsepower car, you benefit from a $5,000 discount. The more horsepower you choose to put in your garage, the more money you save when you sign the dotted line. The 797-horsepower Challenger Hellcat Redeye comes with a $7,970 discount. At the other end of the spectrum, the Charger SXT powered by a 3.6-liter V6 rated at 292 horsepower is eligible for a $2,920 rebate.  The Grand Caravan has 283 horsepower, so it's not far from the Charger SXT, but it's not included in the program. The Journey with the same 3.6-liter V6 engine isn't in it, either. Dodge launched the Power Dollars program to boost sales, and likely to clear the remaining 2019 models out of its inventory before the 2020s arrive. But the company has another reason to make its muscle cars cheaper, one we don't think we've heard from an automaker yet. "Since bringing the Charger and the Challenger back to the market, Dodge has put 485 million horsepower into the hands of our loyal enthusiasts. The goal is to grow to a half-billion horsepower before the end of the year," explained Tim Kuniskis, the global head of Alfa Romeo, and FCA's head of passenger cars in North America, in a statement. It's 15 million horsepower short of the milestone. It needs to sell about 18,820 examples of the Hellcat Redeye to reach its goal, or approximately 51,370 units of the Charger SXT.   

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...

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).