When we last visited the Hurst facility in Irvine, CA, we noticed something unusual. While nearly all of the Challengers were painted in either white or black, a lone Challenger painted in B5 Blue sat tucked away in a corner. When we inquired about the car, we were told that we would find out soon enough. Well, we know now, as Hurst has just unveiled a Competition/Plus package for the Dodge Challenger at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA.

The Competition/Plus project was started in an effort to provide a more affordable package, as well as appeal to customers who might not necessarily want the classic gold paint schemes. Named after the legendary shifter that helped make Hurst famous, the package includes only the essentials: an Eibach suspension system, Magnaflow exhaust system, Hurst 20-inch alloy wheels, color-matched leather inserts and stitching for the interior, matte black exterior accents, and, of course, a Competition/Plus short throw shifter with the classic white ball. We're told the package is available on any color of Challenger, whether it's the B5 Blue pictured here, Hemi Orange, TorRed or any other.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but full details on the car should be released soon. Until then, take a look at our exclusive gallery of photographs that were given the chance to snap a couple of days before the car's release.

[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

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Along with Barack Obama, the Cubs, Al Capone and the Sears Tower, Chicago is home to the world's most famous Mopar dealer, Mr. Norm's legendary Grand Spaulding Dodge. While Mr. Norm sold the dealership in the late 1970's, the Mopar Hall of Famer has recently made a resurgence, officially introducing the 1968 dodge GSS Hemi Dart last year in Chicago as well as the Super Cuda and challenger at SEMA just a few months ago. The Challenger is making an appearance here in Chicago as well, with a slick new two-tone paint scheme and 900 supercharged horsepower underneath the hood. Other features include a carbon fiber front and rear spoiler, Katzkin leather interior, SSBC eight-piston front brakes, and a Hurst pistol grip shifter. Like the Hurst and its HEMI Challenger, Mr. Norm is selling a production version of the car with a a variety of styling options and performance levels ranging from 600 to 900 horsepower.


[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

[ Tag: Challenger, Chicago 2009, Chicago Auto Show, Chicago2009, ChicagoAutoShow, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, DodgeChallenger, drag car, DragCar, mopar, Mr Norms Super Challenger, Mr. Norms Garage, Mr. Norms Super Challenger, Mr.NormsGarage, Mr.NormsSuperChallenger, MrNormsSuperChallenger, muscle car, MuscleCar ]




[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

[ Tag: challenger, coupes, hemi, hurst, hurst hemi challenger, HurstHemiChallenger, sema, sema 2008, Sema2008, sports cars, SportsCars ]





[ Source: Tags: dodge ram ]

[ Tag: dodge ram, dodge ram mopar street package, dodge ram rt, dodge ram sportsman, dodge ram srt, dodge ram trxtreme, DodgeRam, DodgeRamMoparStreetPackage, DodgeRamRt, DodgeRamSportsman, DodgeRamSrt, DodgeRamTrxtreme, mopar, mopar underground, mopar underground ram trucks, MoparUnderground, MoparUndergroundRamTrucks, sema, sema 2008, Sema2008 ]


 
Cars-n-Coffee is a weekly gathering of automobilia in Irvine, California at Ford's former Premier Auto Group parking lot. Every Saturday morning from 6AM, Ferraris, Jaguars, Lamborghinis, Porsches, '50s hot rods, Mercedes, Camaros, you name it, rumble their way into the lot. On one recent overcast morning, autoblog headed down to the dawn soiree, having been offered a drive in the Hurst HEMI Challenger. Although 6AM is closer to our bedtime than it is to reveille, we stayed up and paid a visit to the Challenger, hoping to find out if it had any hope of being a champion. Follow the jump for the story.


[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

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  • Detroit 2009: Dodge challenger R/T accessorized by Mopar


Legendary maker of all things used to shift, hurst has taken some time out today to unveil the car that will mark its 50th year of building specialty performance vehicles under the banner of Hurst Performance. That car is the appropriately named the 50th Anniversary Hurst/Viper. Since adding more power to the Viper's 600-hp 8.4L V10 engine is akin to putting Yao Ming in heels, Hurst instead focused mostly on the aesthetics. The Hurst/Viper, of which only 50 will be made, comes only in two color combos that commemorate the official colors of the company: Black with Gold stripes or White with Gold Stripes. Of course, it wouldn't be a Hurst car without a Hurst shifter, so these special Vipers will be fitted with the company's new HARD-DRIVE gold anodized pistol grip shifter. Also from the company catalogue are Hurst 19- and 20-inch polished aluminum wheels wearing Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. The interior is shrink wrapped in Katzkin charcoal leather that's embroidered with the Hurst logo and touched off with gold stitching and perforated leather inserts.
It's hard to modify a car of the Viper's caliber and not play with the performance a little, so Hurst did add a Corsa exhaust and Moton Club Sport adjustable coil-over suspension to make it that much more special than stock. The first of 50 examples will be auctioned off next week at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in Arizona with all proceeds being donated to Victory Junction, which runs a camping facility for chronically ill children.


[ Source:

PRESS RELEASE

First Drive: Autoblog drives the 50th Anniversary Hurst Viper - first! [w/VIDEO]


The Dodge Challenger remains by far one of the most exciting offerings in Chrysler's lineup, and in addition to the R/T Classic edition, Dodge had on display an R/T on display complete with the latest products from its Mopar catalog. The car you see here comes with Nostalgia wheels ($561 each), Go-Wing spoiler ($307), carbon fiber engine cover ($313), cold air intake ($359), cat-back exhaust system ($1,155), performance shifter ($680), coilover suspension kit ($1,704), Katzkin leather seats ($1,240), T/A hood, and more. Some of the parts seem a little expensive, but the Moparized Challenger looks absolutely retrotastic in a more subtle way than the aforementioned Classic R/T. Decide for yourself by browsing the high-res gallery below.


[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

[ Tag: Challenger, Detroit, Detroit 2009, Detroit Auto Show, Detroit2009, DetroitAutoShow, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Challenger Mopar accessories, Dodge Challenger RT, DodgeChallenger, DodgeChallengerMoparAccessories, DodgeChallengerRt, Mopar, NAIAS ]



Ron Flint, president of Hurst Performance, is quick to let you know that founder George Hurst's original intent was to make hot rods for gentlemen. It is ironic, then, that for the revived company's 50th anniversary, it has thrown its energies into a car that isn't a hot rod, and certainly isn't for gentlemen: a Dodge Viper. Leaving the heart of the beast well enough alone, Hurst merely tinkered with some oily bits, stuffed the thing with leather, and then slathered it in a hue something like a monochrome sunset. Autoblog was invited to be the first to drive the Hurst 50th Anniversary Dodge Viper, and you know what we discovered? There's (matte) gold in them thar hills.

[ Source: Autoblog (Aftermarket) ]

[ Tag: 50thanniversary, aftermarket, auction action, AuctionAction, barrett jackson, barrett-jackson, BarrettJackson, coupe, featured, first drive, FirstDrive, hurst performance, hurst performance vehicles, hurst viper, HurstPerformance, HurstPerformanceVehicles, HurstViper, special edition, SpecialEdition, sports car, SportsCar, supercar, viper ]


Steve Saleen grabbed our attention when he announced his new company SMS Limited and gave us a preview of his upcoming versions of the Dodge Challener, the 570TM and 570XTM. Since the preview only showed a rendering of the vehicle, we figured it would be quite some time before we saw an actual product. Our expectations were exceeded, however, when SMS sent us news of their very first product: the 296 Supercharger system for the 5.7L and 6.1L HEMI V8. The system features a massive 2955 cc of displacement as well as an internal intercooler, eight-rib pulley, by-pass valve, high-volume heat exchanger and more. The kit can increase horsepower by as much as 45%, all while fitting neatly underneath the stock hood. Follow the jump to see a full list of features and check out the gallery below.

[ Source: www.smssupercars.com ]

[ Tag: Dodge Challenger supercharger, DodgeChallengerSupercharger, Hemi Supercharger, HemiSupercharger, SMS, SMS 570TM Challenger, SMS 570XTM Challenger, SMS Limited, SMS Limited Challenger, SMS Limited Supercharger, Sms570tmChallenger, Sms570xtmChallenger, SmsLimited, SmsLimitedChallenger, SmsLimitedSupercharger ]

During the three days I drove the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hybrids along the coast of Maine, I distinctly remember asking one marketing executive what the exact differences were between the two SUVs. "Nothing," he candidly replied. "Some folks prefer the Chrysler name or fascia, while others are partial to the Dodge" - and hence the two coexist in what most would perceive as a blatant conflict of interest.Which brings me to this 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT. From an equipment perspective, it's a dead ringer for our Four Seasons Chrysler Town & Country (Swivel 'N Go, UConnect navigation, leather seats, DVD player, power sliding doors, remote start; you name it, it's got it), yet it's devoid only of the ornate trim details our T&C sports. Personally, I can live without the extra detail, as even without the Chrysler's grille, dash clock, and chrome rolling stock, the Grand Caravan is reasonably attractive.I do spot a few equipment changes between the two, although I think this is merely a matter of comparing the 2008 model with the '09. This Dodge is equipped with both an iPod connector in the upper glove box and an improved UConnect Phone system that - shock and awe! - automatically downloaded my phone's contact list via Bluetooth. I've used UConnect with the same phone in multiple vehicles (our Town & Country the night before, even), and I've never before experienced that. Are these features enough to point to the Dodge as the better sibling? Certainly not, as they're also offered in the 2009 T&C. Chrysler, in fact, made a host of improvements to its UConnect system in many of its 2009 vehicles, from Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler.What I do prefer is the Dodge's suspension tuning. I'm told it's new and exclusive to the 2009 SXT model, and I'm also told it's supposed to be "European." I'm not exactly sure what that entails, but I do notice that the van isn't as prone to float over crests and dips in the road surface as the Town & Country is. I certainly wouldn't call it sporty - it still leans like a CitroГ« n 2CV when you pitch it into a corner, and the steering is still overboosted and quite numb - but at the same time, it no longer prompts your passengers to pass around the Dramamine, either. I'm also noting a much firmer brake pedal feel, although I could just be used to the worn pads on our Four Seasons Town & Country, which has nearly 30,000 miles on it.I like this new generation of Chrysler vans - and I like the SXT better yet - but I'm still not quite sold. There's a fair amount of wind noise at highway speeds, and I did hear a few small squeaks coming from somewhere in the back. If only this van were just a bit more refined in these areas, it'd have my outright seal of approval.

[ Source: Automobilemag ]

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