Last Call: 6 Down, 1 to Go

1 year ago Showcase

The 2023 model year will be the last for the current generation of the Dodge Challenger and Charger, but the Dodge brand is making sure that these two modern legends go out with a bang. Over the course of the past month, Dodge has revealed six “Last Call” models that are designed to celebrate a piece of the brand’s history with one more debut being worked on right now.

Today, we take a look at the first six special, limited-edition packages for the 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger, along with a very brief look at what will debut soon.

Challenger Shakedown

The first Last Call model to be introduced back in mid-August was the 2023 Dodge Challenger Shakedown. This package is inspired by the 2016 Shakedown Challenger Concept, which also debuted at the SEMA Show. That concept was a 1971 Challenger with modern Challenger headlights, taillights, wheels and Brembo brakes, powered by the 6.4-liter HEMI® engine. That classic was built to serve as an incredible pro touring car with a long list of late model components, leading to a stunning custom old-school muscle car.

The 2023 Challenger Shakedown is based on the R/T Scat Pack and is offered in both standard-width and Widebody form. All 500 standard-width models will come in Destroyer Grey, while all 500 Widebody models will be painted Pitch Black. The Plus Group, Technology Group, the Carbon/Suede Group and Navigation are standard on all 1,000 units, while the standard-width Challenger Shakedown models come with the Dynamics Package.

The individual features of the 2023 Shakedown package include the Mopar® Shaker hood with the Shake-specific air intake system, Shaker underhood graphics, red 392 badges on the fenders, the Shakedown spoiler graphic, the unique stripe design that runs down the hood, roof and trunk lid, a Black Challenger grille badge, a unique R/T grille badge, red painted Brembo brake calipers, a Shakedown IP badge on the passenger’s side of the dashboard, premium black Nappa Leather and Alcantara with red stitching throughout the cabin and Demonic Red seatbelts. Finally, the standard-width Shakedown models come with 20×9.5-inch Slingshot wheels in Low Gloss Black while the Widebody models feature 20×11-inch Warp Speed wheels in Carbon Black.

Charger Super Bee

The second Last Call model introduced for the 2023 model year is the return of the Charger Super Bee. Dodge introduced the Super Bee name back in 1968 on the Coronet and in 1971, it became a trimline for the classic Charger. Back then, the Super Bee package was an ultra-high-performance package that could serve as both a comfortable daily driver and a formidable foe at the drag strip. Dodge reincarnated the name in 2007 as an appearance package on the Charger SRT-8, which lasted through 2009. For 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Super Bee package was a sort of “budget” package for the SRT® 392 model, packing all of the power without some of the higher priced interior features. For 2023, Dodge has created the best performing Super Bee ever, with an array of features to make it an incredible drag strip machine.

The 2023 Dodge Charger Super Bee is based on the R/T Scat Pack and it is offered in both standard-width and Widebody form – all of which are powered by the 392-cubic-inch HEMI engine with 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. There will be 500 2023 Charger Super Bees with the standard-width body in B5 Blue and 500 new Super Bees with the Widebody package in Plum Crazy. All 1,000 units will come with the Plus Group and Carbon/Suede Package, along with a long list of package-specific features inside and out.

The 2023 Dodge Charger Super Bee features unique graphics on the hood and rear quarter panels, unique badging on the grille and fenders, a black Mopar hood pin kit, the SRT hood with a functional scoop and dual heat extractors, black exhaust tips and red Brembo four-piston front brake calipers. Those lightweight calipers make room for the unique wheels of the package, with 20×9.5-inch knurled wheels wrapped in 275-millimeter-wide drag radials on the standard width cars and 18×11-inch wheels with 315-millimeter-wide drag radials on Widebody models. This package also comes with the Drag Mode setting for the Bilstein adaptive dampers, which work with the factory-equipped drag radials to yield the best possible 60-foot times at the drag strip. Finally, the Super Bee package comes with a unique badge on the passenger’s side of the dashboard and Super Bee logos on the front seat backs.

Challenger and Charger Swinger

The third and fourth Last Call models were introduced together in the form of the 2023 Dodge Challenger Swinger and Charger Swinger. The Swinger name was first used back in 1969 on the compact Dart as a budget performance model with an array of unique colors and upholstery options. The classic Swinger was intended to be fun and fast, with a groovy look to fit the trends of the era. The 2023 Swinger package for the Challenger and Charger offer a comparable, classic look inside and out with 392 HEMI engine power.

The Swinger model for the 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger is based on the R/T Scat Pack Widebody trim level of both vehicles, which includes the 392-cubic-inch HEMI engine with 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque. This package will be offered on F8 Green, Sublime Green and White Knuckle cars, with a long list of features that give these modern Dodge muscle cars a very unique look inside and out.

The 2023 Challenger Swinger starts with the Plus Group and the Shaker package. On the outside, this classically inspired package includes a Gold School Challenger grille badge, a Gold School R/T grille badge, a Gold School-painted Shaker scoop, Gold School Scat Pack fender and spoiler badges, Gold School 20×11-inch wheels, black six-piston Brembo front brake calipers and the unique Swinger stripe on the rear quarter panels and trunk lid. Inside, the Challenger Swinger comes with aluminum bezels with a Mod Grain wood-like texture and Nappa Leather and Alcantara seats with a green Dodge Rhombi logo on the seat backs and green stitching that is also found on the center console and doors. Like all Last Call models, the Challenger Swinger has a unique badge denoting the model on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

The 2023 Charger Swinger also starts with the Plus Group and a spread of Gold Rush colored trim, including the Scat Pack + Bee grille, fender and spoiler badges and the 20×11-inch wheels. The Swinger sedan also includes the black Brembo brake calipers, the rear tail stripe, the Nappa and Alcantara seats with the green Dodge Rhombi logo, the green accent stitching throughout the cabin, the wood grain textured aluminum interior bezels and the dashboard badge.

Charger King Daytona

In the 1960s and 1970s, William “Big Willie” Robinson was arguably the most influential man in the West Coast drag racing scene. Robinson got involved in the local street racing scene while working at a body shop in the Los Angeles area before being sent to the Vietnam War as a member of the Army. When he was medically discharged in 1966, Big Willie returned to the L.A. area, where he would become one of the top street racers in the area. In 1968, Robinson created the International and National Brotherhood of Street Racers with support from the LAPD, hosting drag racing events in areas such as Compton, Inglewood and Watts. These were some of the areas hit hardest by gang life in the 1960s and Robinson used his drag racing association as a way to help combat street violence. As the Brotherhood of Street Racers grew, Robinson’s group was able to open Brotherhood Raceway Park in the San Pedro neighborhood in 1974. This facility further helped to cut down on street violence, but it also cut way down on local street racing.

During the height of the LA street racing scene of the late-1960s and early-1970s, Big Willie drove a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that became known as the King Daytona. That is the inspiration for the fifth 2023 Dodge Last Call model – the Charger King Daytona. This high-performance package is offered exclusively on the SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody model in Go Mango, with a bump in power from 797 to 807 horsepower for the 300 units planned for production.

On the outside, the 2023 Dodge Charger King Daytona features Satin Black graphics on the hood, roof and rear quarter panels, Satin Chrome exterior badging, a bright Mopar hood pin kit, a Satin Black rear spoiler, orange six-piston Brembo front brake calipers and 20×11-inch Satin Carbon Warp Speed wheels. Inside, black Nappa Leather and Alcantara seats feature the Daytona logo on the seat backs with orange stitching that is also found on the instrument panel, the center console, the Alcantara steering wheel and door panels, a suede headliner, carbon fiber interior bezels and a power sunroof. The Harman Kardon premium sound system and Navigation packages are also included in the Charger King Daytona package.

Challenger Black Ghost

The sixth Last Call model is another Redeye-based muscle car that pays tribute to a vintage street racing legend, but this car hearkens back to one of the Challengers that dominated the scene on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. In the 1970s, a black Dodge Challenger R/T SE with the 426 HEMI engine and a black patterned vinyl roof would occasionally show up on Woodward Ave, stomp a few Mustangs, Camaros and whatever else would line up, then disappear into the night – sometimes for months at a time. Due to the way that this HEMI engine-powered Challenger would show up and disappear without a trace, it became known as the Black Ghost. At the time, no one knew who drove the Black Ghost, but years later, it was discovered that the HEMI engine-powered Challenger was driven by a local police officer named Godfrey Qualls. Today, that 1970 Challenger R/T SE is a member of the National Historic Vehicle Registry and it is owned by Godfrey’s son, Gregory. He takes the original Black Ghost to events around the country, sharing his father’s incredible story with the modern automotive community.

The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost Edition is based on the SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody and only 300 units will be produced, all of which will be painted Pitch Black, of course. To give this car a unique, classic look, it has the Dodge font logo across the area of the upper fascia immediately in front of the leading edge of the hood, along with classic Challenger script logos on the grille, fenders and rear spoiler. To represent the vinyl roof of the original Black Ghost, the limited-edition 2023 Challenger Redeye comes with a black “gator skin” vinyl roof wrap, along with a bright fuel filler door, white rear fender graphics, black Brembo brake calipers with six-pot units up front, a Midnight Metallic SRT grille badge, black Mopar hood pins and 20×11-inch Satin Carbon Warp Speed wheels. To help improve low end acceleration, a 3.09 rear axle replaces the standard 2.62. On the inside, the Challenger Black Ghost comes with Laguna Leather and Alcantara seats and door bolsters, an Alcantara steering wheel with a red illuminated SRT logo in the middle, real carbon fiber bezels, a Dynamica suede headliner and a Black Ghost badge on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

Keep an eye on DodgeGarage for more in-depth stories on both the King Daytona and Black Ghost.

The Final Last Call

The seventh and final Last Call model will be introduced to the public soon. The only hint to what that might be was a car on display during the first day of Dodge Speed Week announcements back in August. That car appeared to be a Challenger with a license plate that read “1FAST29”, and at the media preview, Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis promised that this would be far more than an appearance package with some basic performance options.

Comments

Comments

More Showcase Articles