Few things can elicit the kind of drooling amongst American muscle car fans that a Dodge Challenger GT with all-wheel drive can. We’re talking Mississippi River-scale mouth water followed, inevitably, by the Noah-sized flood of tears once it’s realized that this is only a concept. Sorry, Mopar lovers, the Challenger GT AWD being shown at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas is just such a concept.
From the outside, we see a beautiful color scheme based on Destroyer Grey and using Header Orange as a perfect highlight, with the upper portion in Matte Black. The body has been widened thanks to the Mopar wide body kit, an off-the-shelf item for the Challenger, which includes the beefy wheel flares shown. The five-spoke Mopar wheels, however, are concepts that are, we believe, likely to find an audience. They are 20-inch by 10-inch (51 x 25 cm) at the front and 20-inch by 11-inch (51 x 28 cm) at the rear.
The front chin split and added rear spoiler both add to the aesthetics of this Challenger and serve as functional elements in its design. The quad Mopar exhaust tips at the rear are powder-coated Satin Black, as is the fuel filler door – both are off the Mopar shelf.
Inside, the Dodge Challenger GT AWD continues with the Header Orange color in its stitching on the Katzkin leather. A Mopar flat-bottom steering wheel, door sill guards, and trunk mat are all off-the-shelf items.
The real magic, though, is under the hood. The Challenger’s stock 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine has been paired with its expected eight-speed transmission. It’s received the Scat Pack 3 Performance Kit treatment, though, adding 79 horsepower (59 kW) and 44 pound-feet (60 Nm) of torque. These gains come from Mopar Performance CNC-ported cylinder heads, Mopar hi-flow manifolds, and hi-flow catalysts. The exhaust manifolds, exhaust adapter, upgraded gaskets, and Scat Pack 3 badging comes as well. This is a new off-shelf option from Mopar.
The transmission includes an all-wheel drive powertrain, putting this concept Challenger GT in a whole new league of performance. Performance vehicles utilizing AWD generally have better off-line power delivery through better traction and gain a boost in the corners thanks to the better grip offered through all four wheels turning in unison.
Finishing off the upgrades to the concept is a Mopar suspension kit, also conceptual for this project. It lowers the car to improve its center of gravity through modifications to the suspension and the tower braces in the front and rear.
Although this Challenger GT AWD is just a concept, we think it's one that, frankly, needs to see production.
Source: Dodge