2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8

Dodge unveiled the all-new Dodge Charger, performance-car aficionados had a lot to celebrate.With its infusion of Street and Racing Technology (SRT) DNA, Dodge hopes that the all-new Dodge Charger SRT-8 provides exactly what performance enthusiasts want in their American muscle sedan: more power, world-class ride and handling, benchmark braking, functional and aggressive-looking exterior enhancements and a race-inspired interior.

During the heyday of the original Dodge Charger, performance was measured mainly in straight-line numbers. Today, SRT adds a complete approach with the all-new car.Charger SRT 8 incorporates Brembo brakes to stop as well as it accelerates. As an all-around performer, the awe-inspiring numbers unheard-of in a muscle sedan: 0-60 mph in around 5 seconds, quarter-mile time in the 13-second range and braking distance from 60-0 mph in approximately 110 feet. The Dodge Charger SRT8 is also capable of accomplishing SRT's signature performance test of 0-100-0 mph in the mid 16-second range.

Just as the very first Charger – the original 1964 Charger by Dodge concept car - sported a HEMI V-8, the all-new Charger SRT-8 gets its motivation from a HEMI, too. In this case, it's a big-bore, SRT-engineered version producing 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. Several features of the new 6.1-liter SRT HEMI recall the legendary HEMI engines of previous decades, including the namesake hemispherical combustion chambers that provide power and efficiency, orange-painted cylinder block, black valve covers, and even the horsepower rating (with less displacement, the 6.1-liter HEMI's 69.8 horsepower-per-liter rating exceeds that of the legendary Street HEMI of the 1960s and ‘70s).

To create the 6.1-liter version of the Chrysler Group's HEMI, SRT powertrain engineers applied tried-and-true engine-building tricks honed by generations of American hot-rodders. For more displacement, SRT engineers bored out the diameter of the cylinders in the HEMI by 3.5 millimeters each in order to increase the total displacement to 6.1 liters from 5.7 liters.

Race-inspired interior appointments in the Charger start with power-adjustable, deeply sculpted and highly bolstered sport seats in the front fitted with performance suede inserts to hold occupants during maneuvering. Rear seats have matching performance suede inserts. All seats have contrasting red stitching. Other sporting touches include “carbon fiber” technical leather trim on the steering wheel for better grip, and special finishing on the center stack. A 180-mph (300 kph) speedometer, tachometer and temperature gauge feature dark faces unique to the Charger. An LED display within the gauge cluster is driver-configurable for oil temperature, oil pressure and tire pressure readouts.