Seven heritage specials to farewell Dodge Challenger and Charger

The beginning of the end is officially here for the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, with Dodge this week announcing an elaborate send-off for its raucous V8 icons as an all-electric future beckons for the American muscle car brand.

Despite being about to enter their last full production year, seven new ‘heritage-influenced’ variants will be added to the Charger sedan and Challenger coupe portfolios in the US over the coming months, six of which will “share a connection to iconic Dodge vehicles from the past”.

The seventh and final variant will be revealed at the SEMA performance and aftermarket vehicle show in the first week of November as a true ‘last of its kind’ send-off.

All seven special-editions will be produced in limited quantities, with Dodge executives revealing the cars will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis and only via selected dealerships, the list of which will be published online closer to the models’ release.

If Charger and Challenger enthusiasts miss out on one of these limited-run offers but still fancy a slice of rich heritage, Dodge is also reintroducing the iconic B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green body colours to the Charger and Challenger’s colour palette, along with the more modern Destroyer Grey.

All 2023 Chargers and Challengers – regardless of their colour – will be fitted with a commemorative ‘Last Call’ brushed aluminium plaque under the bonnet featuring the car’s model name, silhouette and the words ‘Designed in Auburn Hills’ and ‘Assembled in Brampton’.

R/T variants will also be adorned with a retro-styled ‘345’ badge on their front wings – reflective of the 345ci (5.7L) HEMI V8 engine powering them.

The send-off celebrations don’t stop there either; Dodge is also expanding its Jailbreak personalisation scheme to encompass the Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat twins.

“We are celebrating the end of an era – and the start of a bright new electrified future – by staying true to our brand,” said Dodge chief executive officer Tim Kuniskis.

“At Dodge, we never lift, and the brand will mark the last of our iconic Charger and Challenger nameplates in their current form in the same way that got us here, with a passion both for our products and our enthusiasts that drives us to create as much uniqueness in the muscle car community and marketplace as possible.”

Piggybacking off all the swansong hype, Dodge also revealed it is streamlining the delivery process for customers chasing a convertible makeover for their 2022 and 2023 Challengers, with dealers now set to offer an expedited transport service from the factory directly to Drop Top Customs: Dodge’s preferred and only third-party convertible partner.

US customers will then take delivery of the finished product directly off the showroom floor as they would for a traditional hardtop.

“What better way to commemorate how far we’ve come than to make it easier for Dodge Challenger customers to create a throwback convertible look,” Kuniskis said.

All of these announcements were made on the first day of the three-day Dodge Speed Week event series, which will culminate with a ‘future muscle’ announcement – something we anticipate being a preview of Dodge’s first battery-electric muscle car.

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