With rules as they are, manufacturers have no choice but to build EVs, so I think this looks good, maybe Dodge will hold on to the Challenger name and use it when hydrogen is the viable fuel in about 5 years time.
Matt Hollingsworth - Vehicle Registrar
Panther Pink 73 Aussie Charger 265 Hemi 4 spd
Challenger Sam Posey Tribute car
from a pedestrian safety point of view i think ev's should 'have' to make at least some noise. the amount of people i've spoken to that've been caught out by ev's creeping up on them is mad. it's only a matter of time before someone gets run over
neil.
Nice looking but like most, I cant get very excited about it if Im honest. I will happily stick with my 68 moredoor.
Im interested in most things mechanical (old tractors, trains, lorries, steam etc) so was pleased when I was recently taken for what I can only describe as a 'blast' in a top of the line Audi Etron sports missile. To say it was quick is an understatement, I was sports bike fast, literally, and it handled superbly. It had some sound thing in it that was actually pretty good. It felt like being in a proper car somehow. I still firmly believe they are all a flash in the pan though
With the caveat 'for a modern car' I think it looks pretty good.
Its tough for modern stuff to differentiate - the regulations and rules are so restrictive. Safety impact this and regulation light height and blah blah. I think Dodge should be applauded for something that tries to capture the essence of bygone. I liked the Challenger too.
The main objection seems to be EV.
I've got no real issue with that - you have to accept it is just different. Some of the core characteristics of EV dynamics are not so different from what we enjoy. Instant, stump pulling torque ? Check. Massively overpowered ? Check. Unnecessarily fast ? Check. Not so different from yer back-in-the-day muscle car.
I've been driving an EV daily for about 18 months now and its very easy to live with. People bang on about range - its not range anxiety, its charging anxiety. But it isnt an issue - its always charged (for me) - it fits my usage. Never have to go to a petrol station - dont miss that. So as a proposition for a vehicle they make sense.
BUT - and here is the BUT. They are cold. Emotionless. No visceral, mechanical 'soul'. Gone are the days where the sound and character are a differentiation for a car. The 'wow' of popping the hood and seeing a hemi. The polished pipes of an Alfa V6. The strange whizz of a rotary. The growling whistle of a Subaru impreza etc. Gone. So I do get it. Something has died with them.
What I will say is that if history had evolved the other way round , if we had all been running electric for 100 years and someone invented petrol I dont think we'd give it a second glance. One way or another our toys are destined for the history books I think. But they'll outlive us.
