by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
No-‘Challenge’ dream car
Well, we seem to hear news reports everyday of how automobile sales are dropping during these rough economic times, but that didn’t stop Tom Leshinski from buying his dream car: A brand new 2009 Dodge Challenger SR/T.
“I’d been saving for a new car and was looking at things. After I drove this, nothing else compared. I knew I was hooked, so I figured, hey, you’re going to spend a lot of money anyway, why not go for it all. You only live once,” Leshinski says.
Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, two-door muscle cars were rolling out of Detroit’s auto factories in grand fashion, carrying names like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and, of course, the Dodge Challenger. Now, more than 40 years later, Ford has brought back the Mustang, General Motors keeps promising a new version of the Camaro and Dodge has released a sleek, updated version of the Challenger.
The Challenger SR/T is powered under the hood by an updated version of the Dodge Hemi V-8 engine (a big 6.1 liter) that is also found in the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300, but the Challenger is the first modern Hemi car that also has a six speed manual transmission (also with a pistol grip shifter that looks just like the shifter in the Challengers from 40 years ago).
Leshinski says that his Challenger gets between 400 and 425 horsepower and about 420 pound-feet of torque.
“The Challenger isn’t all that great on fuel,” Leshinski admits. “It gets maybe 15 miles per gallon on a good day, but luckily, gas prices have been coming down.”
The SRT8 uses Brembo four-piston calipers on all four wheels, for a 60-to-zero mph stopping distance of approximately 110 feet.
Leshinski chose the black exterior for his car, and it also features a black leather interior as well. All in all, Leshinski says he is impressed with his Challenger.
“It certainly has turned some heads, and it is a very impressive, powerful car to drive. I love it and hopefully will have it around for a long, long time. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with the car for the winter months — I kept my old car (a 2000 Chevrolet pickup), so I may drive that during the snowy months.”
w
