The Latest Mopar Special Edition!
Technically advanced TR-6060 transmission easily accommodates torque in its most potent form
Hot Rod Network / David Hakim / November 6, 2017
For 2017, and in celebration of Mopar’s 80th anniversary, the Mopar ’17 is one trick looking Challenger. With a total of 160 units split evenly between the two snazzy, hand-painted two-tone paint schemes, 80 cars painted in Pitch Black/Contusion Blue, and another 80 in Pitch Black/Billet Silver, it’s a nod to 80 years the Mopar brand has been in existence from its humble roots as a line of antifreeze products in the 1930s.
Because of the limited run, don’t expect to see another Mopar ’17 Challenger in the lane next to you at the stoplight. That low-production number gives you instant exclusivity. Like when you’re displaying in the late-model show car field at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals and among the rows of 2008-2017 Challengers, you’re the only Mopar ’17s in the whole fairgrounds.
“Since its birth in 1937, Mopar has evolved from the name of an antifreeze product to a global customer-care brand,” said Pietro Gorlier Head of Mopar Parts and Service. “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 US vehicles.”
We dig where the brand’s coming from and evolving to, and the Mopar ’17 Challenger is a great indicator of good things to come.
For example, under the Shaker hood of the Mopar ’17 resides pure Hemi goodness in the form of 392 cubic-inches that puts out 485 horsepower with 475 lb.-ft. of tire smoking torque. All Mopar ’17 Challengers get the Tremec six-speed manual transmission, so you’ll have to row it around town, but that’s okay. After our weekend with the Mopar ’17 Challenger, we racked up over 1,000 miles heading to and from the Motor City to Maple Grove Raceway for the Dodge NHRA Nationals. From the super highways of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes, to the country roads that we shared with Amish buggies, the Mopar ’17 was a blast to drive.
Looking at that Shaker hood for our weekend road trip to Maple Grove was even better sitting in the performance seats that are customized with Tungsten Mopar logos and stitching that includes the Mopar logo embroidered on the seatbacks. The Challenger’s interior stands above the other domestic performance coupes in its class.
We did turn many heads on the road with the Mopar ’17’s two-tone custom painted Contusion Blue and Pitch Black livery. The inherent bodylines of the Challenger provided a seamless segue point for the colors. The custom Mopar 392 logo also gets hand-painted at the Mopar Custom Shop. The rear deck spoiler gets the Pitch Black treatment, and the Mopar Design badge on the spoiler tells the world your Challenger is special. Speaking of badges, a special serialized Mopar ’17 80th Anniversary plaque gets installed on the radiator core support under the hood.
The only available wheel and tire package on the Mopar ’17 is the 20 x 9-inch aluminum wheels with semi-gloss accents and center caps featuring the Dodge logo. Grip comes from 245/45R20 Goodyear F1 Supercar tires. Our complaint is the tires need to be taller and wider to fill up the wheel wells and give the Mopar ’17 a more aggressive stance and better handing when pushed hard (although we’ve admittedly been spoiled by the looks of the new Widebody Hellcat.) The four-piston Brembos are good, but the red painted six-piston versions would be better and look much cooler.
The limited-edition Mopar ’17 Challenger sold for $55,790, excluding taxes and destination fees. Will it be a future collectable? It’s hard to say. With late-model Challenger production numbers soaring compared to the original E-Body, it probably won’t be in our lifetime, but that’s okay, as it gives us more of an excuse to drive them harder and harder.
