Back in July 2010 Mopar Performance announced that they
would create their first Mopar-branded car, known as an image vehicle. This
specialty car was based on the Dodge Challenger R/T and would be a combination
of special Mopar Performance components, custom touches and accessories, and a
functional T/A-type hood scoop that would feed cold air to the engine. While
the SRT8 would have been a more powerful engine package, what appears to be the
push behind the Mopar ’10 Challenger was a more practical limited edition,
similar to the original 1970 T/A package, which used a small-block for power.
Harkening back to
the original muscle car days...
The price on the car was just under $40,000 new, right
between the cost of a regular R/T and the SRT8 model, and the critics thought
that Mopar should have put a little more power under the pedal. The 5.7 was the
only engine offered, and while all were black, there were a couple of options.
One was transmission choice. You could get either an automatic or manual.
Another was the graphics package. Like the ’70 T/A predecessor, special
exterior trim was important, and three separate color accents were made
available. Black-chrome 20-inch rims, hood pins, and special interior pieces
were standard, and an accessory kit of memorabilia and documentation rounded it
out. Also included was a handling package using the Super Track Pak moniker
from the past.
Three years later, there are a lot of nice Challengers out
there, but a lot of people still have never seen a Mopar ’10. That is because
only 600 were built (500 for the U.S. market, 100 for Canada), and there were
delays in delivery, some not showing up until the middle of the 2011 build
cycle (though all were created from the 2010 Challenger body). You could order
it through your local dealer, and distribution nationally is now documented
publically.
Although still a
stock 5.7 engine, the addition of the Vortech supercharger did substantially
boost—pun intended—the power.
When an older gentleman from Greer, South Carolina, decided
he wanted to order a 2010 Mopar Challenger, he went to down to Morrow, Georgia,
to Landmark Dodge, for the purchase. Why? Because Eddie Rosa and the crew at
Speed factory make their home there, and it was here that the already
collectible Mopar ’10 may have gone to one-of-one rarity status. You see,
Landmark sells the cars that are modified by Speed factory as new vehicles,
complete with a three year/36,000-mile warranty, and, according to their
records, they sold just one such Mopar ’10 Chally, this one.
So, where the skin-deep beauty had been justa 5.7, there is
now a V3 Vortech centrifugal supercharger with intercooler, bigger injectors
and fuel system, and more. The engine put out 544 horsepower off the
crankshaft. Incidentally, by keeping the boost low, at 5 1⁄2 pounds, the 5.7’s
OEM internal architecture was not changed, even with 100 ponies added to it.
Travis Foster has had a lot of Mopars, and one car he let go
of some years ago was a ’71 383 ’Cuda. Having a little jingle in his pocket, he
didn’t get a Mopar ’10 when they were new, and was watching for a good
pre-owned one to come up for sale. “I had always thought the 2010 Mopar
Challenger was the best-looking package, but I felt it was a little down on
horsepower, too,” says Foster. “When the chance came up to buy the Speed
factory car, I jumped on it.”
Transmission and suspension changes were also part of the
Speed factory build, and Travis actually hopes to have Speed factory do a few
more upgrades to it as time and money allows. Meanwhile, he is enjoying the
attention the car gets and overall feel and ride of the combination.
2010 MOPAR On Road
It’s not easy owning anything in the new-car market that is
truly one-off these days; we think that the Mopar ’10, with its custom touches,
will continue to have a collector following. And we think this one in
particular could well be considered one of the best of the breed. Finally, we
think it is too cool that Travis is still driving it as much as he wants…
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Specs
Mopar power
·
Engine: While Speed factory offers some pretty stout stroker
packages, this one is at 345-inches (that’s 5.7 liter if you don’t have your
slide rule handy) and has not been reworked internally. Instead, the pythonic
chrome coils of the Vortech supercharger inlet and intercooler wrap around
the engine bay (with the blower at a mild level of 5 1⁄2 pounds of
boost), custom flash-tuned for the environment. Other improvements are the
blue anodized engine dress-up pieces. ·
Transmission: Factory five speed is nice, but Speed factory
gave this one a little TLC via their Phase II package, which includes a
reworking with heavy-duty internals and a higher stall converter. A set of
Hurst paddle-type steering column shifters lets you pretend you are in an F1
car. Seriously, the upshift/downshift by computer control through the paddles
allows hands-on shifting. ·
Differential: Factory with 3.06 gearing Horse
power and performance: Dyno’d 544 horsepower off the crankshaft after
assembly. Travis likes the fact it can run the moonshine in’ mountains of the
Piedmont with the best of them. Sure grip ·
Suspension: Mopar promoted the handling package as the Super
Track Pak on the car, and this one features not only tighter 3.06 rear gear,
but Hot chkis springs and sway bars that Speed factory added ·
Brakes: Factory standard, but that included upgraded linings as
part of the Super Track Pak ·
Wheels: These are factory but deserve a closer look—black
chromed 20-inch Mopar-branded five-spoke rims and Goodyear 245-45/20 meats High impact ·
Body: The hoods coop is the only major exterior panel replaced.
Factory hood pins were also part of the package. A flip-top Mopar gas cap and
a set of sequential taillights round it out. ·
Paint: The Mopar ’10 Challenger came in Henry Ford’s favorite
only—black, with optional color graphics of silver, red, and Mopar Blue, like
this one has. The grille ring is a special black chrome version. ·
Interior: Carrying on the blue color accents inside, special
Mopar leather seats, leather steering wheel cover, and blue LED lighting.
Also, an upgraded Alpine navigational/stereo system. For weight reasons, the
massive subwoofer that was part of the stereo package is in a corner of the
garage.
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