Front overhang is definitely shorter than the concept's. I think it's an improvement, but the old-school crowd may disagree.
I couldn't agree more. That was the one thing that scared me about this car, was when I actually saw it in person and couldn't believe how freakin' long it was. Not being from the orginal muscle car era, it was the one feature that kind of turned me off.
To me, the "new" front is a blessing, probably makes it weigh less too. Can't wait to have one in the garage.
Front overhang is definitely shorter than the concept's. I think it's an improvement, but the old-school crowd may disagree.
In the middle-bottom of the rear bumper between the pipes are air foilers.
Rear lamps have changed
I kinda figured the rear lights have changed; that doesn't suprise me. But - it does look similar, despite the lighting change.. its the headlights i'm interested in - they look 'full-round' for lack of a better term; not cut off at the top like the concept.
click above image to see 8 high-res spy shots of the 2009 Dodge Challenger
Preproduction prototypes of the Dodge Challenger have been spotted all over Detroit in the past few months, but most have been captured with camera phones and revealed little detail about the muscle car coming from Chrysler. KGP Photographers ran into one recently and were armed with proper DSLRs to shoot the car to death, focusing particularly on details like the headlights, taillights and wheels that previous low-res spy shots have missed. In a few pictures we can see through the mesh of the camo and glimpse the headlight hardware, which looks high-tech, perhaps incorporating LEDs around the frame of the circles just like the concept, and trimmed in chrome. The same goes for the taillights, which appear close to the concept's. Finally, through the wheels we can clearly see some serious stopping power in the form of rotors that would look right at home on a Dodge Ram. Is there anything on this car that will differ significantly from the concept? Our guess is that the first interior spy shots we see will hold the answer.
Check out the gallery of eight spy shots below, and we've also included a gallery of the Dodge Challenger Concept for comparison's sake.
did it occur to you that that part may just be the only part that lights up -- the taillight housing still might be one-piece. I, personally, would like the 'cuda style tails.
The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get rich quick theory of life.
-Theodore Roosevelt-
Every generation needs a new revolution.
-Thomas Jefferson-
While foreign automakers are in a race to catch up with Mercedes-Benz's CLS "four-door coupe," Chrysler could become the first automaker to bring a four-door retractable-top sedan to market. Plans are for such a car based on the next-generation Chrysler Group LX platform, no earlier than the 2010 model year.
Think of the update Chrysler made to its LH full-size front-drive platform in the 1998 model year, and you've got an idea of the type of evolution the LX will undergo. The basic architecture will remain unchanged, but updates will improve refinement. It's too early for Chrysler to have a locked-in design for the next 300. If the two generations of LH (Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid) are any guide, the next 300 will be a more mature, refined version of the current car. Trendy design cues like the "gangster"-style roofline and Bentley-like eggcrate grille will be updated.
Chrysler launched the LX platform in early 2004 with the 2005 300 and Dodge Magnum and later added Charger. The next-generation LX must support more models and create new trends. Both the retractable-top convertible and a new Dodge Challenger expected in the 2009 calendar year are examples of how Chrysler Group plans to remain hip and competitive.
Specialty builder and supplier ASC Incorporated unveiled its Helios concept, based on a 300C four-door sedan, at the Detroit show last year. The Helios is a ragtop with a lattice structure to provide expected levels of body rigidity. The structure cut into trunk space and turned the five-seat 300 into a four-seater. ASC said it could be profitable to Chrysler at $4000 above the sticker of a 300 sedan.
But Chrysler has rejected the ASC design and chosen Austro-Canadian specialist manufacturer Magna Steyr instead to build its 300 retractable sedan in North America. Magna Steyr is the combination of Canada's Magna International and Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch. Magna International's president is Mark Hogan, a rising corporate star and lifer at General Motors until he left for the supplier in late 2004.
A complex folding steel roof covering four doors in a large sedan seems difficult, but Magna Steyr is one of the biggest suppliers in the business. If Chrysler can carry this off, a retractable sedan top will add more prestige to keep it at the forefront of leading-edge design.
Europeans call them "vario-roof" cars, and although they've been around for a long time, they're not easy to do. The ASC-built Chevy SSR launched in 2003 with a short first-year production run because of development problems. The retractable-roof Pontiac G6 four-seater is about to launch after several delays.
But vario-roof cars are clearly the Next Big Thing as automakers strive to deliver the evocative wind-in-the-hair sports-car driving experience without the downsides of noise, leaks, and lack of security.
It's cool, but there have been some pretty wild cars discussed in this thread... a 1200+ hp quad-turbo V10-powered mid-engined coachbuilt-to-order Chrysler Corsair just might have that one beat, for instance...
It's cool, but there have been some pretty wild cars discussed in this thread... a 1200+ hp quad-turbo V10-powered mid-engined coachbuilt-to-order Chrysler Corsair just might have that one beat, for instance...
Avenger SRT-6 w/AWD, 380-400HP from a 4.0L TT would rank much higher than a 'vert 300 to me...
And yes, if they make the 'corsair' or an ME412 replica of any kind, I'll drool over ever last word of the rumors, the spyshots, and any concepts/production models that make it out
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