11 Actual Mile Challenger SRT-8 6.1 Liter HEMI

Not many cars in recent memory have stirred the automotive public's enthusiasm like the return of the Dodge Challenger in 2008. With concept cars floating around since 2006, and spy photos and rumors circling the Internet on an almost daily basis since then, the excitement surrounding this modern muscle car was tremendous. When they announced that they would start taking orders on December 3, 2007, these cars were immediately selling for twenty or thirty thousand dollars over sticker to enthusiasts who just had to have one of the first ones. If there has been another new car announcement that got the car world buzzing like this one did, I'd like to know what it was.

This 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 is going to be the one you wish you bought. If you've ever wished you'd had the foresight to put away a true collectible when you had the chance, well, here's your chance. As one of the first-year Challengers, it is definitely going to be a collectible like the early 1964½ Mustangs are today. Imagine if you could find an early Mustang with 12 miles on it, still in the factory wrapper?

Each Challenger features a numbered dash plaque and a 6.1-liter HEMI V-8 engine and were only available in Black, Silver and HEMI Orange. All three colors feature dual "carbon-fiber" hood stripes, harkening back to the original Dodge Challenger and tying into the concept car's trick carbon hood. 2008 was a limited production year (Chrysler insiders referred to it as a 2008¾), with only top-of-the-line SRT-8s being built. All 6,400 cars built in 2008 were sold out long before production started on May 8, 2008. Chrysler auctioned off two 2008 SRT-8s for charity with car #1 going for $400,000, and a "B5" Blue #43 car fetching a winning bid of $228,143.43. The precedent has been set.

This HEMI Orange Challenger is SRT-8 number 2829 out of the 6400 built. It has every option available in 2008, including a sunroof, MyGIG GPS navigation entertainment system, and the optional staggered size summer performance tires. There are just 12 miles showing on the odometer. Everything is 100% as delivered by the factory, including the warning tag hanging from the glovebox lid. When you see 30 year-old cars today called “time capsules” this is the kind of car they're talking about - properly preserved, this car will be a definitive time capsule in 30 years. Documentation includes:

All owner's manuals, warranty booklets, operating guides, and tire pamphlets
The original window sticker (showing a $41,985 price tag)
The original purchase order form from Cascade Auto in Cascade, Idaho
The original Vehicle Shipping Order form
The original Daimler Chrysler vehicle manifest for this car (akin to the build sheet)
All correspondence from Chrysler to new owners, including an accessory catalog with a coupon for a free oil and filter change.
Accident report card
Sirius satellite radio setup booklet
April, 2008 issue of “Automobile” magazine featuring the Challenger
April, 2008 issue of “Motor Trend” magazine featuring the Challenger SRT8
August, 2008 issue of “Mopar Action” magazine featuring the '09 Challenger
A scale replica of a Hemi Orange Challenger SRT8
Two Hemi Orange Challenger SRT8 baseball caps.

Dodge came to the muscle car party ready to do battle. The 6.1-liter HEMI in the Challenger makes a monstrous 425 horsepower and 420 pounds of torque. With its Goodyear F1 Supercar tires (245/45-20 front, 255/45-20 rear) it rumbles to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 13.3 seconds. An eager five-speed automatic modified by SRT provides immediate upshifts and downshifts and is a terrific partner to the 6.1-liter. Full-throttle shifts at redline are accompanied by an explosive sonic boom from the exhaust. Back off the throttle, and the sound becomes mellow and unobtrusive. Brembo supplies the massive four-wheel discs, with supercar-size 14.2-inch rotors in front and 13.8-inchers aft. All are vented and clamped by aluminum, four-piston calipers.

This car is, of course, in flawless factory-new condition throughout. It has been through detail and prep, but is otherwise as it was the moment it left the factory, including the protective plastic on the floors. With only 12 miles, it has never seen the highway or the rain or a parking lot. It was never used as a dealer demonstrator car, and as such, has never been thrashed or abused. It is a 100% new car in every way, right down to the markings and stickers on the engine and undercarriage. This is the kind of car that will be used in the future to determine the standards by which these cars are judged, something we call “reference-quality.”

The future of the Challenger looks bright, and with the return of the Chevy Camaro, the pony car wars are heating up once again. And now that there are growing environmental concerns and thoughts about fuel economy are creeping back into the public's awareness, these might be the last of the great big V8-powered muscle cars. Scoop up an investment-grade Challenger now, including all the critical paperwork, and secure your future. Call us today!