"Everdragracebefore?"
These words, like everything David Hakim, Mopar's performance parts manager says, come in a direct, rapid-fire burst and make no attempt to hide his obvious concern for what's at stake. In this case, what's at stake is Dodge's 2008 Challenger Super Stock Concept car, which we came here to drag race.
"Well, um..."
Hakim isn't interested to know that we've driven plenty of cars as fast as this one. Or that just last week we wheeled a $120,000 Porsche for the camera — sideways, even. Nope. None of that matters. Because this Challenger is one of only two in the entire world. Which, as far as we can tell — and certainly as far as DaimlerChrysler is concerned — makes it priceless.
Risky business
The 2008 Dodge Challenger Super Stock Concept is the sister car to the orange Challenger Concept which has been on the show circuit for 15 months — the car which inspired DaimlerChrysler to actually produce the Challenger as a 2008 model. And the car which has every Mopar geek worth his pushrods foaming at the mouth.
It's justified, too. Both cars are stunning carbon-fiber-bodied examples of how a muscle car should look. They're low, wide, have huge rear haunches and Hemi power.
I sheepishly admit that I've never really done any competitive drag racing. I don't mention that this is by design. I've secretly shunned it as a less-than-involving motorsport for those who bang pushrods together for fun and will never fully understand the true pleasure that comes with actually driving a car...around a corner.
