Dodge is really getting into this auction thing after auctioning the first three Challengers off for charity with the first one going for $400K at Barrett-Jackson. This time Dodge will be taking the #43 Challenger off the production line, painting it the lengendary “B5 Blue” and auctioning it off on Ebay from February 12-22. The Challenger will feature black carbon fiber looking hood stripes, numbered dash plaque, chrome fuel filler lid, a 6.1-liter SRT HEMI V8 and a five-speed AutoStick tranny.
The Challenger pays homage to Richard Petty and the #43 he made famous while driving stock cars throughout his long racing career. All proceeds from the Ebay auction will benefit the Petty’s Victory Junction Gang Camp which enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences year-round.
Along with getting the one-of-a-kind #43 blue Challenger the auction winner will receive a VIP package to this year’s Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington this May, a meet-and-greet session with Kyle Petty and a Dodge Motorsports prize pack.
For all the auction details and pre-bid information click here.
It was a big day at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson as the right’s to buy the very first production 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 sold for $400K which included auction fees. What you see above in the picture is not the production version but rather the concept which Dodge brought to give bidders an idea of what they were buying. The first Challenger SRT8 along with all 2008’s will come equipped with the 6.1-leter HEMI V8. The proceeds from this auction will benefit notMYkid which is an organization dedicated to understanding youth behavior issues.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend this year but Drew Phillips over at AutoBlog was there to take photos and catch all the action. You can view all the photos Drew took here in AutoBlog’s gallery.
Somebody got smart over at Dodge and decided since the 2008 pre-sales brochure already leaked onto the net with the hitious looking scans why not release the high-res versions to make the Challenger look better. Well they wised up and released them into the wild, we have them below for your viewing pleasure. There are five photos, one of the sweet looking gas filler, exhaust, decklid, wheel and front grille. Enjoy…
I think Dodge may have underestimated the interest customers have in the 2008 Dodge Challenger as 4300 people put down deposits the first day when they began taking orders. Since then Dodge has taken over 6000 deposits for orders which means if Dodge sticks to their guns of only producing 5000 units some customers will be left out in the cold or they just might have to wait for the 2009’s that should come out sometime in the Summer of ‘08. Even though customers have yet to see the production version of the Challenger which will come in February at the Chicago Auto Show it seems they are satisfied with what the concept looks like. If deposits keep up like this they would easily have over 10K by the end of the year.
A pre-sales brochure for the Challenger has been photographed and uploaded to the forums via a member at allpar.com. Somehow said member got his hands on the literature and did what any normal crazed Challenger fan would do, share it with the rest of the world. Click the thumbs below for larger pics. Enjoy…
The long awaited pricing news has finally been announced, MSRP for the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 will be $37,995 (includes $675 destination charge) but if you think your getting out the door with one for that price think again as the government will add a $2,100 gaz guzzler tax to the MSRP making it $40,095.
For 2008 Dodge will only be producing 5000 or so SRT8 Challeners with the 6.1 liter HEMI V8 engine. 2008 Challenger SRT8 models will feature a numbered dash plaque and will be limited to just three colors, Black, Silver and HEMI Orange. All 2008 models will feature dual carbon fiber hood stripes bringing back the original look of the Dodge Challengers from years gone by.
Dodge began taking pre-orders on Monday December 3rd for a spring delivery date.
It’s been a long road for the Dodge Challenger concept from it’s early days as just a sketch on paper to it’s debut in February at the Chicago auto show as a full fledged production vehicle. The concept Started back in 2004 when Chrysler put together a group designers including Michael Castiglione and Alan Barrington to come up with a muscle car design on the LX platform.
The designers Michael Castiglione and Alan Barrington of the Pacifica studio gave interviews in a three part series talking about how the concept came about to what you will see in February of 2008 at the Chicago auto show. Part 2 and Part 3 are after the jump. Enjoy… Read the rest of this entry »
News from Chrysler this past week is they will only be producing 5,000 Dodge Challengers for 2008. Chrysler Corp. has said all along they want to keep the Challenger a low-volumne model for the first year and then in the second year increase production to around 30,000 units with other model choices. All 2008 models will be the 6.1 Liter SRT version with an Automatic Transmission, no manual for 2008. Chrysler has also said for 2009 the increase in production will also inlcude a 6.1 and 5.7 Liter HEMI model along with your choice of a six-speed manual, six-speed automatic, or a dual-clutch transmission. No V6 model has been planned for the future.
For now we wait till the Chicago Auto Show in February 2008 where Chrysler will debut the Challenger to the public.
As I mentioned in the previous post Dodge is auctioning off the first three production models to various groups of people and this auction for #2 (2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in HEMI Orange) off the assembly line will go to a Dodge Dealer. The auction is being held on Ebay and benefits The United Way of Southeasten Michigan. The auction runs till October 3rd unfortunately it’s not open to the public so all we can do is sit back and watch the bidding wars.
The winning Dodge Dealer to get this baby not only gets the #2 2008 Dodge Challenger off the line but also a bunch of extra goodies including Two VIP passes to the May 2008 Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway, a meet-and-greet with Kyle Petty at the race, Roundtrip first-class airfare and first-class lodging and the winner will also get a Dodge Motorsports prize pack.
As of writing this the auction is up to $80K with 42 bids. Check out the auction here for more information.
This should come as no surprise to Challenger fans because of the success Ford had auctioning off the Shelby GT, GT500 and GT-H Mustangs. All those Mustangs went for big money and Chrysler hopes for same with the first three Dodge Challengers that are scheduled to be SRT-8 models adorning hood stripes with the 6.1-liter V8 under the hood and HEMI Orange paint. The first production Dodge Challenger will be auctioned at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car auction in Scottsdale, Arizona in January to benefit notMykid, an organization that promotes understanding of youth. The rights to the second car off the line will be auctioned on September 26 of this year through a private auction for Dodge dealers only. All monies from this auction will benefit the United Way of Southeastern Michigan. The third vehicle will be auctioned on Ebay.com in early 2008.
For more information check out the press release after the jump.
