Perfect for anyone who wants to create a replica to Toretto’s Charger, or maybe a General Lee?
For those who want a classic Charger but don’t want to deal with the pains of restoring one from half-century old bits, Dodge may now have a solution to your woes through its recent offering of a brand-new fully-licensed shell for a 1970 model. What more is that this latest offering that stems from a collaboration between the automaker’s Direct Connection Performance Parts group and Finale Speed is made from lightweight carbon fibre, and bodies for the Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner also apparently in the works too!
Engineered to OEM body specifications, Dodge touts for these new carbon bodies will ‘integrate the legendary look and feel of iconic muscle cars with the performance and technology of modern muscle’. There is unfortunately no official word on the exact technical specs of any of these brand-new old-style shells yet though, or exactly how much this presumably pricey product will retail for.
It is however not just the old school metal that is getting the Dodge love, as the American automaker has also recently partnered with SpeedKore to create a line of carbon-fibre accessories for the current-era Challenger. These officially OEM-licensed parts include a carbon-fibre rear spoiler, front splitter, rocker panels and rear diffuser.
And if there is ever the problem of considering which car would, Dodge conveniently has an answer to that too in the form of its newly available Challenger body-in-white kit. Costing just $7,995 (RM 36,000), this shell could serve as the perfect starting point for any number of custom projects — from creating a monster modern competition-ready drag car to even being used to reshell a previously crashed race car — but is nevertheless worth highlighting here though that whatever eventual creation will never be road-legal, due to the lack of a VIN.
As for drag racers who don’t want to start entirely from the ground up meanwhile, Dodge is now also to be offering its Challenger Drag Pak as a rolling chassis for $89,999 (RM 402,000). Coming complete with an NHRA-certified TIG-welded roll cage, four-link rear suspension, adjustable Bilstein coilover suspension, a Strange Engineering 9-inch rear axle, Strange Pro Series II racing brakes, as well as Weld bead-lock lightweight wheels wrapped with Mickey Thompson slicks, all that is missing within this package is just whatever that’ll make it move down the quarter mile on its own. Though even that could be solved through the various powertrain combinations from Direct Connection, with its already expansive catalogue recently also adding a plug-and-play TorqueFlite 8HP70 transmission for use with crate engines and a pair of supercharger kits that range from 2.7 to 3.0-litres.
“Not only do we listen to our Dodge owners, but the brand also delivers the performance products our street car enthusiasts, drag racers, and vintage muscle fans need,” stated Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis. “Direct Connection is a program that lives up to its name, offering a pipeline of new products, including a Drag Pak Rolling Chassis for our sportsman drag racers, new licensed carbon fiber panels to cut weight and improve performance, and many more new additions to our growing performance parts portfolio.”
PRESS RELEASE: Dodge unwrapped a full slate of new additions to its factory-backed Direct Connection performance parts line today, including a Direct Connection Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak Rolling Chassis for grassroots drag racers, a Dodge Challenger body-in-white kit, Direct Connection-licensed carbon fiber SpeedKore parts, a licensed vintage Dodge Charger carbon fiber body from Finale Speed, licensed American Racing Headers for the Dodge Charger, Challenger and Durango, and more.
The new Direct Connection parts were announced at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan, during the three-day Dodge Speed Week series of events. Dodge Speed Week will include additional announcements on Dodge Gateway Muscle and Future Muscle products on August 16 and August 17, respectively.
“Not only do we listen to our Dodge owners, but the brand also delivers the performance products our street car enthusiasts, drag racers and vintage muscle fans need,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer – Stellantis. “Direct Connection is a program that lives up to its name, offering a pipeline of new products, including a Drag Pak Rolling Chassis for our sportsman drag racers, new licensed carbon fiber panels to cut weight and improve performance, and many more new additions to our growing performance parts portfolio.”
Drag Pak Rolling Chassis
The new Direct Connection Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak Rolling Chassis offers a foundational blueprint for National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) competitors, giving the grassroots racers that fuel the sport the tools to create their own vision of a drag race car. The Drag Pak Rolling Chassis with 4130 chromoly tubing and a fully TIG-welded roll cage is NHRA-certified for 7.50-second elapsed times.
The Direct Connection Drag Pak Rolling Chassis arrives already equipped with a four-link rear suspension engineered to launch hard and stay planted down the quarter-mile. Double-adjustable Drag Pak-specific tuned Bilstein coilover shocks, Strange Engineering 9-inch rear end and Strange Pro Series II racing brakes and Weld beadlock lightweight wheels with Mickey Thompson drag racing tires combine to provide racers a formidable quarter-mile package. Working off the Drag Pak Rolling Chassis, racers have the freedom to finish building their dream drag machine with the powertrain, driveline and engine management system of their choice.
Also for grassroots racers, a newly available Dodge Challenger body-in-white kit, delivered without the roll cage, is available with standard e-coat or with an optional choice of exterior vehicle colors for the 2023 model year.
The Direct Connection Drag Pak Rolling Chassis is available at a U.S. manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $89,999, while the Dodge Challenger body-in-white kit is offered at an MSRP of $7,995. Both are available by contacting the Direct Connection Tech hotline at (800) 998-1110.
Carbon Fiber for All
Direct Connection is teaming with SpeedKore to offer Direct Connection-licensed carbon fiber parts for the modern-era Dodge Challenger. SpeedKore offers high-quality carbon fiber upgrades that meet or exceed Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) quality standards and shed weight through custom, lightweight carbon fiber. Direct Connection-licensed carbon fiber parts include the rear spoiler, front splitter, rocker panels and rear diffuser.
Direct Connection will also work with Finale Speed to license a 1970 Dodge Charger carbon fiber body which can be built into a complete, finished vehicle. The carbon-fiber-body vehicles, engineered to OEM body specifications, integrate the legendary look and feel of iconic muscle cars with the performance and technology of modern muscle. Future Direct Connection-licensed carbon-fiber bodies through Finale Speed will include the Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner.
Modern Performance
Direct Connection also bolsters its modern performance portfolio with several new products, including:
- Direct Connection TorqueFlite 8HP70 transmission — the same transmission used in the 392 HEMI®-engine-fueled Scat Pack models — is now a plug-and-play option for use with Direct Connection crate engines, delivering greater torque capacity
- Direct Connection now offers 2.7L and 3.0L supercharger kits, based on proven superchargers from the Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye production vehicle and Hellephant 426 supercharged crate HEMI engine, respectively, for grassroots racers
- Direct Connection-licensed American Racing Headers for the Dodge Charger, Challenger and Durango, made from 304 stainless steel, work with an X-pipe exhaust crossover system to handle huge HEMI engine power, including supercharged applications
More information on availability, pricing and vehicle applications for new Direct Connection products will be announced at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 1-4.
