Mopar and Dodge//SRT Roll Out New Challenger Drag Pak at 2019 SEMA Show
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --
- Introduction of the 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak marks the fourth generation of the modern-day drag race package car
- The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak delivers sportsman racers a new, turnkey package loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and is certified for NHRA and NMCA competition
- Body-integrated SFI-specification welded rollcage is certified for ETs as low as 7.50 seconds
- The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak is powered by the supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI® V-8 engine
- Limited production of 50 serialized units
- Fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak builds on lessons learned from current Drag Pak which claimed NHRA and NMCA world championships in 2018
- Ordering and pricing details to be announced in the future
Mopar and Dodge//SRT took the wraps off a new, fourth-generation version of the factory-built, racetrack-only Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak car today at the 2019 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.
The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak is engineered for grassroots drag racers that compete in sportsman classes in events sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA).
Building on lessons learned with the third-generation Drag Pak, the new fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak offers racers the choice of buying a complete, turnkey package ready for the track or a variety of modular kits to install on their own Dodge Challenger drag car.
"Mopar and Dodge//SRT collaborated to make this factory production-based Challenger Drag Pak not only a forced to be reckoned with at the strip but also an instant collectable for Mopar enthusiasts," said Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care, FCA - North America. "Our legacy has been won at the track by the women and men who pour all they have into being the best. This new Challenger Drag Pak gives them the tools to stay in front of the competition."
Production of the new Challenger Drag Pak will be limited to 50 serialized units. Ordering and pricing details will be announced in the future.
Heritage-inspired Graphics Signal Performance
Just as the modern Dodge Challenger turns heads with design cues that harken back to the original muscle car era of the 1970s, the red, white and blue color scheme on the fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak displays a modern flavor, seasoned with nostalgia.
The graphics package is anchored by the blue Mopar logo and red "dragpak" badging on the quarter panels above the rear wheels. The red band wraps around the rear of the car, connecting the badges.
A wide blue stripe, with red tracers on each side, runs from the edge of the front fascia, over the roof and through to the rear edge of the decklid. The graphic highlights the width of the Challenger Drag Pak and complements the variety of stripe packages Mopar offers for the Dodge Challenger. A blue band runs along the lower quarter of each side of the Challenger Drag Pak, accented by a red tracer line.
"We want this to look so cool that when the customer buys a Challenger Drag Pak he or she wants to run these graphics because they are so iconic and stand out," says Mark Trostle, Head of Performance, Passenger Car and Utility Vehicle Design for FCA – North America. "Mopar people are proud of the heritage and the look and they want to show that off."
Four Generations of Track Experience
Construction of the Challenger Drag Pak begins with a standard-width Dodge Challenger Body-in-White (BIW) unibody built at the FCA Brampton Assembly Plant in Brampton, Ontario. An SFI-specification welded rollcage, rated for quarter-mile runs as fast as 7.50 seconds, is integrated into the body.
New for the fourth-generation Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, the Strange rear axle assembly uses adjustable coilover shocks, four-link suspension with wishbone and an anti-roll bar. Wheelie bars and a parachute mount are integrated into the chassis and are standard.
Up front, a unique engine cross member lowers the center of gravity and improves weight distribution. The front also includes specific Bilstein double-adjustable struts.
The race-ready 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, powered by the supercharged 354-cubic-inch HEMI® V-8 engine, is fitted with a T400 three-speed transmission with a Kwik-Shift manual shifter, lightweight driveshaft, front and rear racing brakes, Racetech seats, Racepak Smartwire fully programmable power distribution center and a new, exclusive Drag Pak lightweight wheel and tire package.
Also new for 2020, the Drag Pak hood mimics the design of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with intake and heat extractors. Front and rear fascias use the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat design.
Mopar and Dodge//SRT Package Car Heritage
The Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak's roots were firmly planted in the early 1960s with the factory production of Max Wedge package cars. In 1968, 426 HEMI-powered Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda package cars were unleashed on the strip. Those vehicles continue to compete in the Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) class of NHRA Sportsman racing and the annual fan favorite Mopar HEMI Challenge, held during the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana, since 2001.
In 2008, Mopar announced the first drag race, factory-prepped package cars in 40 years – the first V-8 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak. The 2009 program saw a first-year sell out of all 100 factory-built vehicles.
The 2010 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak program offered racers an available 6.4-liter HEMI engine. Then in 2011, Mopar introduced a race-ready V-10 package car, becoming the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to offer a 500-plus cubic-inch V-10 drag package car.
The third-generation 2015 Challenger Drag Pak saw the introduction of the first supercharged 354 HEMI as well as a naturally aspirated 426 Gen-III HEMI and was capable of 8.0-second ETs out of the box.
Leah Pritchett captured the 2018 NHRA Factory Stock Showdown World Championship, collected three wins and recorded the first official 7-second run in the class with the third-generation Challenger Drag Pak. Geoff Turk drove his Challenger Drag Pak to the 2018 NMCA Factory Super Cars World Championship and also posted the first official 7-second run in the class.
About Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge proudly offers a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out in their own segments. For 2020, Dodge literally expands its high-performance Charger model lineup, adding a Widebody exterior to America's only four-door muscle car. The 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat maintains its reign as the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.
The 2020 Dodge lineup also features the 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, the Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody and the 2020 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320. The 2020 Dodge Durango SRT, the fastest, most powerful and most capable American three-row SUV, completes the brand's performance lineup. These visceral performance models join a 2020 brand lineup that includes the Durango, Grand Caravan, Journey, Charger and Challenger. Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by global automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. For more information regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.
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About Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) is the service, parts and customer-care brand for FCA vehicles around the globe. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era, with Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, and expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, the Mopar brand's global reach distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centers and 25 customer contact centers globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.
Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for all FCA US LLC vehicle brands. Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles, offering a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com.
For more information, please visit the FCA US LLC media site at http://media.fcanorthamerica.com.
SOURCE FCA
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