Mopar chief Pietro Gorlier shows off the two versions of the Mopar '17 Dodge Challenger.
Mopar is celebrating its 80th anniversary in style, rolling out a customized version of the Dodge Challenger at this year’s Chicago Auto Show.
The Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger is the latest in a series of limited-edition muscle cars from the parts division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Only 160 of them will be offered, split evenly between two distinctive color schemes.
“Since its birth in 1937, Mopar has evolved from the name of an antifreeze product to a global customer-care brand,” said Pietro Gorlier, the head of the parts brand. “The Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger, our latest limited-edition vehicle, is a testament to this philosophy, showcasing how Mopar assists owners in personalizing all FCA U.S. vehicles.”
Mopar debuted in 1937 as a brand of antifreeze. Today, noted Gorlier, during the Chicago news conference, it has over 500,000 parts in its catalog, 25,000 for “personalization.” As much as anything, the limited-edition Mopar models are designed to showcase the wide range of parts and accessories the brand offers owners of other Fiat Chrysler models. And the automaker chose Challenger, Gorlier noted, because its owners spend more to customize their coupes — an average $1,000 each — than any other FCA product.
Power comes from a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, shared with the Challenger SRT and Scat Pack models, that punches out 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque.
Each of the Mopar ’17 Challengers features a hand-painted Mopar 392 logo, but the most distinctive visual detail is the Shaker Hood with a black surround. The same Pitch Black paint accents the coupe’s rear decklid spoiler, while it also replaces the stock Challenger’s chrome with black exhaust tips.
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Half of the limited-run Challengers will be painted in Pitch Black and Contusion Blue, the rest in Pitch Black and Billet Silver.
“This is not a standard factory paint job,” stressed Tom Beddick, head of Mopar’s accessories and performance operations. It is done entirely by hand at a Mopar Custom Shop.
Inside, the customized package features performance seats with Tungsten stitching and embroidered Mopar logos.
Power comes from a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8, shared with the Challenger SRT and Scat Pack models, that punches out 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed transmission and directed to the back wheels.
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To give the Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger a bit of a performance boost, it gets a cold air intake, with additional air blown in from an air duct system in one of the headlight housings. It’s a system similar to what’s used on the Challenger Hellcat model.
Half of the limited-run Challengers will be painted in Pitch Black and Contusion Blue, the rest in Pitch Black and Billet Silver.
Those wheels and tires, by the way, are unique to the Mopar ’17, 20×9 alloys with semi-gloss accents.
The Mopar edition is more than just a quarter-mile sled. It used strut tower braces and caps to improve body rigidity and overall handling. And 4-piston Brembo brakes deliver maximum braking power.
As with earlier Mopar models, owners get a “birth certificate” with all the necessary vehicle specs and manufacturing details. There’s a hand-signed copy of the Mopar ’17 design rendering. And there are special Mopar tire valve stems and a Mopar keychain.
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Mopar has now turned out eight limited-edition models, dating back to the ’10 Dodge Challenger. The newest model in the series, the Mopar ’17 Dodge Challenger, will arrive in U.S. showrooms during the second quarter and will go for $55,790 plus delivery charges.