Dodge Challenger Targa to Appear at SEMA 2008

Dodge Challenger Targa

Dodge's full-race Challenger

Dodge offered some sneak peeks into its lineup for this year’s Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show, one of the wildest of which was the Dodge Challenger Targa. Intent on racing up some racing credibility for the all-new Challenger, Mopar took the resurrected pony car to compete in the Targa Newfoundland.

Dubbed “Samantha,” the Challenger Targa started life as a Challenger with the Mopar drag racing package installed. A 540-horsepower, 490 ft-lb 392 HEMI crate engine was crammed under the hood, and it’s hooked up to a six-speed Tremec manual transmission. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a modified 2009-spec rear end. The Challenger Targa features KW-developed brake and suspension upgrades from the Dodge Viper ACR, including 380mm brake rotors with six-piston calipers up front and four-pot calipers with 355mm rotors at the rear.

A coat of Snakeskin Green paint from the Viper palette was applied to give the Challenger Targa a unique look, and the car also features a Mopar scooped hood and chin spoiler designed to help keep the front end on the ground.

The car completed the 2200km race this September with Chrysler LLC Design Vice President Ralph Gilles at the wheel and co-driver Karen Wagner, finishing second in class and twenty-second overall.

Source: Dodge

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2008 SEMA Mopar Underground Sneak Peek
Dodge Challenger Targa
The Dodge Challenger Targa is a full-blown competition car that raced and completed the infamous Targa Newfoundland race this year. “Samantha” started life as a Mopar Challenger drag race package car. Many features were borrowed from the Dodge Viper, but the most noticeable is the snakeskin green paint. To keep the front end down, a Mopar chin spoiler "Splats“ developed in a full scale wind tunnel, was added to the front of the car. Mopar gauges keep a close eye on the vital signs. The Mopar hood is equipped with a scoop to make room for the 540-horsepower, 490 lb. ft. of torque, 392 HEMI® V-8 Mopar crate motor. Mated to a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox, the engine blasts power to the rear wheels through a production 2009 modified gear ratio in the rear end. An abundance of fade resistant stopping power comes from Stop-Tech brakes. Up front, the six-piston calipers clamp 380-millimetre rotors, while in the rear, four-pot calipers work with 355-mm rotors. Developed by KW, the race suspension and brake upgrades came from a proven hero — the Dodge Viper ACR, which just broke the production car lap record at the world-renown Nurburgring in Germany. With only a few exceptions, the Dodge Challenger Targa was built using parts available through Mopar.