New Non-Aviation Toy

[FlyingMonkey]

I could not help myself.  I turn 50 this year, so I had to get myself a present worthy of the milestone.  Here it is:

 

 

It's a 2016 Dodge Challenger 392 Hemi Shaker.  Basically the largest V8 engine (392 cubic inches, or 6.4L) Dodge makes crammed into a muscle car, fed from a 70s-style cold air "shaker" hood protruding from a hole in the hood.  Horsepower is 485 and torque is 475ft/lb.  Kellie and I drove it back yesterday from Ohio where we picked it up, and it's a blast!

 

How is this CT related?  Well, I can only justify paying on one expensive toy at a time, so I'm paying off the CTSW.  And probably shortly thereafter going E-LSA.  Yay!

[sandpiper]

Nice car Andy.  

When I recently suggested to DW that I wanted a Hellcat version of your car she politely (??) said not only no but H**L NO! My strategy was that it would then be easy to get what I really wanted, the SRT version. Struck out with that, too.

 

When I was about your age I got a Dodge (Mitsubishi) Stealth Twin Turbo. Still have it! Was fast for it's day.

 

You'll have great fun with your new toy. I see a reflection of my face in the computer screen - it's green with envy. 

 

Still working on DW but with a plane and a half, too many cars, and a motor home, I don't see one of these in my future.

[Tom Baker]

As a 16 year old kid I had a 1973 Dodge Challenger. I upgraded the engine to a 1968 340ci 4 barrel, the transmission to a 727, and the rear end was a 8 3/4 3.23 to1 gearing. Man that was a fun car, and the new Challenger looks just as good. Nice ride, I'm envious.

[FlyingMonkey]

This is the largest engine in a Dodge muscle car:  http://www.dodge.com/en/viper/   645hp V10  8.4L      I had a 2010...sold it for 10k more than I paid for it after a year.

 

That's why I said largest V8.  

[FlyingMonkey]

Nice car Andy.

When I recently suggested to DW that I wanted a Hellcat version of your car she politely (??) said not only no but H**L NO! My strategy was that it would then be easy to get what I really wanted, the SRT version. Struck out with that, too.

 

When I was about your age I got a Dodge (Mitsubishi) Stealth Twin Turbo. Still have it! Was fast for it's day.

 

You'll have great fun with your new toy. I see a reflection of my face in the computer screen - it's green with envy. 

 

Still working on DW but with a plane and a half, too many cars, and a motor home, I don't see one of these in my future.

 

Thanks John!  Honestly, the Hellcat is probably more power than I could safely used on the street (not to mention about $22k more!).  My car is already traction limited; some Hellcats have lost at drag races to 392 cars simply because they can't get traction!  Set up correctly the Hellcats will eat my car for breakfast, but then it's close to unstreetable.  I like the car that I can both afford and drive without killing myself.  

[FlyingMonkey]

I noted the largest engine in any Dodge muscle car...

 

Your attempt to murder my moment of joy is noted.

[FlyingMonkey]

Exactly what I was thinking.  Congrats on the new car.

 

Thanks!   

[Anticept]

I might have to fly down there and see you and eddie.

[Anticept]

Nonsense.

You 1upped him, which means you tried to steal his moment. Whether you intended it or not, it was quite rude.

[FastEddieB]

I might have to fly down there and see you and eddie.

 

 

Do it! Probably be able to find you a hangar and you can stay in our travel trailer if you don't mind roughing it.

 

Looks like a fun car, Andy!

 

Let me know if you need any guidance or help with the E-LSA conversion - I can't imagine you'd ever regret it.

[FlyingMonkey]

Do it! Probably be able to find you a hangar and you can stay in our travel trailer if you don't mind roughing it.

 

Looks like a fun car, Andy!

 

Let me know if you need any guidance or help with the E-LSA conversion - I can't imagine you'd ever regret it.

Thanks Eddie, I might have some questions. BTW insurance broker said zero premium change unless the airplane is modified in some way. Not planning any significant mods.

[FlyingMonkey]

 

I actually picked up the car in Columbiana, Corey. I forgot you were up that way or we could have planned something!

[Anticept]

Columbus you mean?

[FlyingMonkey]

Columbus you mean?

Nope, Columbiana. Just over the border from Pittsburgh

[Anticept]

Well, it depends on when you were there. I was selling the M20J and was in florida monday through wednesday night.

[FlyingMonkey]

Well, it depends on when you were there. I was selling the M20J and was in florida monday through wednesday night.

 

Well we were there Monday afternoon to Thursday morning, so it sounds like we would have missed anyway.

[FredG]

Andy, very handsome car.  I'm sure it's a blast.  Funny, last year I went to see Stein Bruch of SteinAir, in MN.  They do experimental aircraft avionics.  He picked me and my buddy up at the airport.  He was driving a relatively new Challenger (don't recall the package).  He thought it was a great ride.  Must be a pilot thing!  

[Doug G.]

My youngest son just leased one (black) with the same setup except the shaker. (He wanted it, but they had the one he got available.) Nice car. Fun drive.

I have thought about a Corvette Z06, but I would want to drive it like it was meant to be driven and that would not be a good thing for me. I'll just have to settle for going to IMSA races. ????

[pointpergame]

....but I would want to drive it like it was meant to be driven and that would not be a good thing for me.

 

   In the couple places I drive --- back home in Silicon Valley and here in Mid Ohio --- It's almost impossible to find a place to let a high-performance car go.   But there are the interstate on-ramps.   Some years ago at 2 am coming home from a hockey game I took my WRX up to 128, my personal Land Speed Record.   A friend at work said for that kind of speed they take you to directly to jail.   Who knew?   I got frightened enough thinking about the expense and the time I'd spend in court I've had to let my record stand.

 

Still, there are  the narrow back-woods,  90-degree roller coaster farm roads in Ohio plus weaving through traffic on the freeways, where it is very handy to be able to blip up to 110 and back down to 75 within a few seconds to get around the occasional slow poke blocking our passing lane with an econobox.

[Ed Cesnalis]

Here on the east side and in Nevada there are opportunities to let your car or bike go.  When I first got my TT I learned I could exceed curve speeds by 100mph 

 

Even here I had to slow down due to speeding tickets.  Times change.  

 

We were pulled over one Sunday morning coming home from Tennis in Bishop and the deputy after a time said 'you know what, if I had this car I would be speeding too'  

 

I'll need to put a turbo in it for when Andy comes to visit.

[Doug G.]

Almost everything here is straight. I used to tell people that my pickup compass had eight directions on it, but I only used four.

I did have our Nissan Max to 130 before I backed off on a very open stretch of newly replaved road with no other cars in sight. ...Thus my comment about the Corvette.????

[FlyingMonkey]

My youngest son just leased one (black) with the same setup except the shaker. (He wanted it, but they had the one he got available.) Nice car. Fun drive.

I have thought about a Corvette Z06, but I would want to drive it like it was meant to be driven and that would not be a good thing for me. I'll just have to settle for going to IMSA races.

Honestly, the shaker is pretty much just an appearance package. It is functional, and reduces intake air temps, but even Dodge doesn't claim it adds any appreciable power. I only got it because I love the old muscle cars, and the look is SO retro. It's an expensive option and I debated skipping it. In the end I decided If I was going to spend money on a new car, it was going to be just the way I wanted it. If I needed to save money on the build the shaker would be the first thing I dropped.

[FlyingMonkey]

I'm really not that fast a driver (anymore). I like fast acceleration, but once speeds get to triple digits I am likely to call it quits. I guess I just saw too many really bad wrecks when I was a cop. If I do really let loose it will be somewhere that the consequences can bite only me.

[Doug G.]

The shakers used to actually shake. Now if it actually shook you would want to find out what was wrong. It does look cool though.

Fully agree on the speed thing, but would love to try a road course with a good car. I prefer racing that uses left <and> right turns.

[Runtoeat]

Neat car Andy.  The "Dream Cruise" just ended here in Detroit. It's held every year and gets bigger each year.  Dodge closed off a huge parking lot along Woodward Avenue and set up a "drift" course and took anyone who wanted to go on a tire screeching and smoking thrill ride in Dodge Hellcats.  I grew up in the '60's.  My Brother had many Mustangs, including a 1970 yellow Mach 1 with shaker hood.  That had a 302 CID with 351 Cleveland heads and was fun but crude compared to your new Dodge. The neatest car was his first Mustang.  This was a 1965 289 Notch-back.  We put in a Cobra cam, solid lifters, dual point distributor, spaghetti headers and tri-power.  We cut down a Dana truck axle with 5.35 ratio and made up a set of Thunderbolt trackton bars. It would blow off 4 barrel 389 GTO's.  The Hemi 'Cuda's and Challengers and Satellites ruled back then. Recall the Satellites were lightened with tricks like no window regulators.  There was just a seat belt strap attached to the side glass and you unhooked the strap and lowered the glass.  Neat to see cars like yours coming back - especially the rear wheel drive ones.  Thanks for posting.  It brought back some fond memories of "times past".