I've driven the 5.7 six speed version and let me tell you the production version is better looking than the concept! --RapidTransit
By Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press
The 2008 Dodge Challenger may look like the concept car that excited visitors to the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit 2 1/2 years ago, but the designers changed every surface to create the production model.
The most obvious difference is the grille, where Dodge's signature crosshair grille was discarded to give the production car a cleaner and more elegant face.
"It looks more like the original 1970 Challenger, and opening up space in the grille helps with engine cooling and air flow," Challenger lead exterior designer Jeff Gale said.
The concept team cheated a bit, producing a body that wouldn't fit on Chrysler's LX platform, which underpins the Challenger and the bigger Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans.
The production designers narrowed the car's body by 4 inches through the doors, which helps account for the production Challenger's better-proportioned look. The narrower cross-section also led to doors and sides that are more upright than the concept's. The car's front overhang is also 2 inches longer, and the front bumper fascia projects forward of the hood farther than on the concept.
"We had to do it to fit the LX platform," Gale said, "but there were some aesthetic benefits, too."
The designers also added a black molding around the bottom of the car, which fools the eyes into thinking the Challenger is less tall than it actually is.
"It makes the car feel slimmer and less bulky," Gale said.
The overall effect is one of the rare production cars that looks considerably better than the concept that inspired it.
It took just six months to design the production model, Gale said. The project got the green light in February 2006, and the design was done by July.