2006 SEMA Show by TCC Team (10/30/2006)
All our coverage from the Las Vegas aftermarket extravaganza.

by Rex Roy

Photos by Rex Roy

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Chrysler, too, presented something old, some new, and something else … this one in red white and blue. Amidst new and current models like the Jeep Compass, Dodge Nitro, and Dodge Charger, the used-to-be-from-humble Highland Park, Michigan company looked forward by peering in a big mirror. Their biggest announcement came wrapped in a 2008 Dodge Challenger decked out in Pro Street trim. Under the hood was a new crate engine from Mopar Performance. Packing 392 cubic inches, the HEMI picks up where the original 392 Hemi from 1956 left off. It's available in carbureted and fuel-injected guise, and in the latter configuration puts out 525 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.

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Inspiration for the 2008 Pro Street Challenger was everywhere. Parked out in front of the convention center was one of the Challengers raced by Dick Landy. Any similarity was purely intentional. Considering that the Challenger has not even hit production, the site of a highly modified and ready-to-race unit indicates that there is real energy behind this car at Chrysler. Union members at the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan built the car on their own time, and plan to campaign the car during the 2007 racing season.

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Chip Foose … the same Foose that at the same show in an earlier press briefing announced a production deal with Ford … debuted his limited-production, 392-powered hot rod, the HEMISFEAR at the Mopar stand. Sign up now and you could be one of the lucky 50 to purchase a kit by Metalcrafters, a longtime Chrysler supplier.

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Among the many beautiful Chryslers at the Mopar stand was an orange 1958 300C. Perfect body work, a lowered chassis, and powered by (of course) a Hemi, the car dripped with style and pride. Somewhere, Virgil Exner is smiling.

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