Did You Know Dodge Offered A V10 Powered Challenger From The Factory?
Few cars are quite as revered in the automotive arena as the Dodge Challenger. The automaker debuted its famed pony car at the height of the 1970s muscle car era. Despite a pause in production between 1983 and 2008, the Challenger has remained a part of the muscle car conversation ever since. With the help of models like the famed Black Ghost, it's also developed quite a reputation among the street-racing set.
The Challenger's legacy grew when Dodge re-introduced their famed muscle car in 2008, with speed-loving enthusiasts re-discovering its almost peerless street-level power. In 2010, Dodge opted to kick the Challenger's legendary power into the stratosphere when it tasked its Mopar team to fit the vehicle with a V10 engine. They did so with a model based on an 8.4 liter V10 designed for another famous muscle car, the Dodge Viper. The result was the Challenger Drag Pak. While the same engine pushed the Viper's horsepower to around 600. In the Challenger, it punched up to 630 hp, though some speculated it was capable of as much as 1300 hp.
Those numbers made the largely amenity-less two-speed Challengers with the Drag Pak fit for actual NHRA racing. That fact alone made it surprising that Dodge actually made the vehicle available for purchase to the general public.
The V10 Challenger was a super limited release from Dodge
It appears Dodge was well aware of the inherent risk of selling the seriously souped-up Challenger to the public, and the Mopar team reportedly required buyers to sign an agreement that they would not use the vehicle on public roads. Given that the car came without power steering, air conditioning, heat, windshield wipers, or rear seats, one has to wonder whether anyone was looking to take it out for a casual Sunday spin.
As it was, the V10 Dodge Challenger was clearly built for racing, with Dodge going so far as to fit the vehicle with racing slicks. They also offered buyers the chance to add a roll cage, safety harness, and mesh windows for an additional $7,900. Those who wanted their Challenger painted anything other than primer white had to cough up another $6,900. Tally up another $700 if you wanted to dress up the primer white with Mopar-branded wrap decals, and those costs came on top of the vehicle's already lofty $85,000 price tag.
Given the cost and limited usability of the V10-powered Dodge Challenger, one can imagine everyday drivers — even those with a penchant for muscle cars — weren't exactly lining up at local dealerships to buy one. As such, Dodge wisely limited production of the V10 Challenger, producing just 70 of the vehicles. Price and limitations aside, one can still imagine Dodge didn't have much trouble unloading all 70.