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Embodying the whole spirit of “Dependable Dodge,” the Diplomat was highly reliable, a real workhouse that endeared itself to police forces and taxi companies across the US. Its immediate design predecessor was probably the Dodge Aspen, but it is also shared design characteristics with many other vehicle of the time, it shared its production line too, with its “M” body twins,’ the Chrysler LeBaron and the Plymouth Caravelle. The Diplomat was a immediate hit, and after six months it was Dodge’s second selling car. Originally provided as a sedan, coupe and wagon versions were available for a brief spell, from 78 until 81. Somehow, the sedan body captured the spirit of the model in a way that other shapes did not. During the energy conscious early 80s, it was marketed as economical, if you had a slant six 225 engine and manual transmission, you could get an efficient 28 MPG on the highways. The 318 V8 engine was more commonly found on the road, alongside a Torquefilte 3 speed automatic transmission.  Like the most Dodge products of the time, the “M” body exterior was distinguished from its twins only through the trim and nameplates, although the up market LeBaron and several distinguished features bolted on. Throughout the later 80s, the Diplomat was sold as Chrysler’s baseline “large car”, although really, it was closer to midsize.

Performance was reliable rather than stunning, but it was the machine’s ability to soak up punishment that really made it stand out. It is sheer hardness was the deciding factor for many fleet buyers. Although the police fleet models featured several performance enhancements, the true core of the Diplomat remained unchanged, it’s stubborn unrelenting endurance.

Posted March 7, 2010 Comments(0)

A classic American ‘muscle car’, the Dodge Charger was a full size fastback coupe. With its buttressed rear pillars and tastefully simple front, the twin headlights were mounted behind electric flaps; it was a far cry from the chintzy gin palace American cars of the 1950s. The first car to bear the Charger name a bold, but somehow bland, fastback that was announced in 1965 had lasted just a couple of seasons. The 1968 shell however, was a last with minimal changes, until 1970. Myriad options meant that the Charger could be tailored to customer requirements, some had quite mild 5.2 liter engines but for those in the know it was the 1968 R/T (road and track) model that was the one to have or the one to dream about having. Under the bonnet was a 7.2 liter engine, giving 375 bhp and an abundance of tyre smoking torque. Off the line, the Charger could out pace most Italian exotica with 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of six seconds, steaming up to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 13 seconds with wheel spin in every gear. If you mashed your foot to the floor, it would eventually wind up to 150 mph (240 km/h).By bolting the heavy duty suspension down rock hard and fitting scaffolding sized anti roll bars, Dodge actually made the Charger R/T handle, too.

Like most American cars, the Charger came as a three speed automatic, but for serious drivers there was also a heavy duty Hurst manual gearbox. The Charger model line lasted until 1978, but its credibility as a performance car progressively faded away as the American industry moved its emphasis from performance to luxury and safety.

Posted March 6, 2010 Comments(0)

Muscle cars are as politically exact as Bernard Manning in a Nazi identical these days, but that hasn’t clogged America’s big 3 makers reincarnating the variety. Neither has it thwarted the buzz of enthusiasm surrounding the rebirth of archetypal names that, until of late, seemed departed and buried. What Dodge’s designers tried to do was reconstruct everyone’s reminiscence of the original Challenger. They kept back the hooded headlights, extended bonnet (inclusive with vents) and what they call the personality line that runs from stem to stern, which we all bear in mind so fondly. Thankfully, they’ve binned the over bodied glance of the unique with that beaky nose that most of us have elapsed about…

The consequence is a good-looking car that’s also rather impressive, but that’s merely because of its absolute size. The Challenger is dependent on the similar running gear as Chrysler’s 300C and is barely four inches shorter than its sister saloon. So although Chrysler bosses say there are presently no plans to make a right-hand drive edition, it’ll be potentially easy for them to modify their corporate mind. Wretchedly, a pricing pinch will mirror that move. Presently the top SRT8 sculpt sells in the US at around £20,000 – for a 6.1-litre V8! Drivers with more of a sense of right and wrong can plump for a 5.7-litre R/T or the ‘fuel proficient 3.5 SE. But whichever representation they go for it’s protected to say that this car won’t be bought by populace worried about the cost of petrol.

Posted January 27, 2009 Comments(0)

The Dodge Viper top-ranks in the list of fiercest, most raw, visceral units sold in showrooms anywhere. Only a small number of cars come as close as the Viper to a street-legal race car: Ferrari F430 Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3RS, Chevrolet Corvette ZO6, Honda S2000CR. Only 2 of these cost less, and not an iota come within 95 hp of the Viper. For the majority of automotive tasks the Viper is overkill, like banging a 6-pound sledgehammer to smack a fly. Preposterously fast and able to swill your eyeballs about in their orbit rounding a bend or in heavy braking, it didn’t really necessitate any more power.

But with archenemy Corvette Z06 at 505 hp, that’s just what Dodge did for 2008. They created the engine just 0.1 liter bigger but boosted 95 horses to make a fastidious round 600. The fly would still be smacked, but now you possess a brutal bigger hammer. The 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is proffered in 2 variants, the convertible Roadster ($83,145) and GTS coupe ($83,895). An ACR version is due soon. The government spokes in a Gas Guzzler Tax to this, however. Viper comes standard with air conditioning, power adaptable pedals, tilt steering column, full instrumentation, and so much more to be listed.

Posted September 28, 2008 Comments(1)