Challenging Boundaries: Five Amazing Dodge Challenger Restomods
The Dodge Challenger rolled in late to the pony-car party in 1969, but it brought a Hemi and zero apologies. (We’ll just pretend the second-gen Mitsubishi years never happened.) The original E-body is restomod gold — get it wrong and it’s a crime; get it right and it’s pure rolling art. Here are five that are done **exactly** right.
The Hellcat Challenger
Shove a supercharged 6.2L Hellcat crate motor (707 hp) into a first-gen body. Sounds easy — until you try fitting it. Someone did it anyway, and the result is evil perfection: Tremec 6-speed with pistol-grip shifter, upgraded radiator, coilovers, big discs, murdered-out black paint, T/A hood scoop, tan leather interior, and a modern touchscreen. Looks like a ’70s horror-movie villain’s ride… that eats modern supercars for breakfast.
1973 Challenger Cruiser – Subtle Masterpiece
Mac and Kay McGinley wanted the ultimate weekend Mopar without shouting about it. Shaved handles, deleted side markers, remote poppers, rebuilt stock suspension, and a stroked 440 on a 727 Torqueflite. Inside: leather-wrapped Pathfinder buckets and re-trimmed dash. Looks bone-stock from ten feet away. Flawless up close.
1971 Challenger Convertible – 572 ci Drop-Top Insanity
No replacement for displacement? This one runs a 572 ci Hemi pumping out 650 hp. EFI, forged internals, hydraulic roller cam, and headers that’ll wake the dead. Butterscotch Yellow paint, matte-black stripes, diamond-stitched brown leather, Ferrari steering wheel, German weave carpet — pure ’70s excess reborn with the top down.
Viper-Powered Budget Beast
Want big power without the Hellcat price tag? Stuff an 8.3L Viper V10 (550 hp stock, turbo-ready, 600 lbs lighter) under the hood, bolt it to a Tremec 6-speed, and upgrade suspension, diff, wheels, and LED tails. This exact car hit eBay in 2015 with a $41K reserve that didn’t meet — proof you can build something absolutely wicked on a (relative) budget.
1970 Mean Green Machine
Sublime Green never looked this good. Blacked-out grille, spoiler, and wheels make it pop. Inside: leather buckets, Auto Meter gauges, pistol-grip shifter, iPod-ready stereo. Under the hood: 6.4L modern Hemi crate (550 hp / 530 lb-ft), smoothed body-colored inner fenders, MagnaFlow exhaust, Schwartz coilover front suspension, Ford 9-inch rear, rack-and-pinion steering, and discs all around. Sold for $114,995 and worth every cent.
