The 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 sits on the tarmac at the Auto Club Raceway Pomona, in Pomona, Calif.Neil Vorano
As I slowly ease the burbling Dodge into the entrance of the drag strip lane at Auto Club Raceway, my anxiety at unleashing 475 lb-ft of torque down a quarter mile is almost overrun by unabashed admiration for the company’s engineers. Almost.
You see, said boffins have the enviable job of punching out – and testing – race car performance from what are essentially street vehicles. And both terms can be used to describe this new 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320.
This is the latest in a string of variants on the Brampton, Ont.-built Challenger chassis, and the 1320 is aimed squarely at the grassroots drag racer, looking for a daily driver during the week and a competitive, yet reasonably priced, race car for the drag strip on the weekends.
Why the 1320 designation? There are 1,320 feet in a quarter mile. Well played, Dodge, well played.
It’s a step up from the “normal” R/T Scat Pack model, with mechanics and tech that make it better suited to competition; in fact, Dodge claims the 1320 will do mid-11s and hit 115 mph (185 km/h) in the quarter mile, and also says it’s the fastest street-legal, naturally aspirated muscle car on the market today.
The 1320 name reflects the car's drag-racing designs, as there are 1,320 feet in a quarter-mile.Neil Vorano
My first step before I hit the start line is to test out one of those features, specifically what’s called a “line lock” – basically, it shuts off the rear brakes. Why would you want that? To heat up the tires for traction with a smoking burnout of course, without putting undue stress on the driveline. Simply initiate the system, press the brakes hard for more than 1,000 pounds of pressure (it will tell you in the instrument cluster), hold the “OK” button on the steering wheel, take your foot off the brake and give it gobs of throttle. It holds the front brakes and lets the rears spin freely, smoking those massive Nexen 275/40R20 street-legal radial tires (specifically made for this car). Also massive is the satisfaction of being engulfed in white smoke amid the terrifying scream of a big V-8.
Of course, Dodge already makes a street-legal drag car; that’s the Challenger SRT Hellcat Demon, a monster with 840 horsepower – and a price tag sailing past $100,000. This 1320 package starts at just $3,995 more than the $51,195 base price of the Challenger R/T Scat Pack model, making it a little more within reach for your everyday wannabe racer.
While it uses the same 6.4-litre Hemi V-8 engine (485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque) as the base car, it also borrows heavily from its fire-breathing, supercharged big brother. On top of that line lock, it also includes a TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission, adaptive damping suspension with exclusive Drag Mode (optimizing weight transfer to the rear for better traction), launch assist (to limit wheel hop) and extreme-duty 41-spline half shafts in the rear for more endurance.
Like the Demon, it even comes with just the driver’s seat as standard equipment; for an extra loonie each, you can throw in a passenger seat and rear seats. But the special “Super Bee” badging is all its own.
The car's exterior badging includes new Scat Pack bee badges that face forward on both fenders.FCA
And there is another feature borrowed from the Demon, something that helps get the 1320 off the line faster and smoother. As I line up the front wheels in the starting grid, I engage what’s called the “trans brake.” This locks the output shaft of the automatic transmission to allow a driver to rev up the engine without shooting forward, though it’s a step that needs a bit of practice: Press the brake hard, pull back on both paddle shifters, rev the engine to a steady 1,900 rpm, release the left paddle, take your foot off the brake, release the right paddle – and hold on.
With the transmission now pushing out torque to the rear wheels, smoothly punch your foot to the floor and rocket down the line. And, boy, does this thing move; avoid wheel slip and keep it pointed straight, and the quarter mile comes at a blistering pace – though thrilling as it is, I wouldn’t want to have my ham-fisted times posted publicly.
Specifically designed for drag racing, the 1320 still requires an experienced driver to maximize its potential.FCA
But that’s kind of the point here. All of these features – especially the electronic doodads – may make the actual racing easier on the mechanicals of the car, but not necessarily on the driver. While the 1320 is built specifically for drag racing, it takes an experienced driver to eek out all of its potential for the quarter-mile run.
Admittedly, this won’t be a high-volume seller for Dodge. Regardless, to its engineers, I say thank you; there aren’t many automakers out there making cars this much fun for the money. And to potential buyers of the 1320: While less than 60 grand is a very good price for a drag racer right out of the box, just remember to budget for tires – lots of them.
Looks
The 1320 looks like the tough muscle car it's meant to be.Neil Vorano
Yeah, it looks like a race car. With a massive intake on the hood, along with extra intakes where two headlights should be, meaty tires and that cool Super Bee badge on the front fenders to go along with what is already a mean-looking muscle car, this is going to draw a lot of admiring looks and thumbs-ups.
Interior
While tastefully done, there’s nothing too fancy inside, with the usual plastics and fake carbon fibre trim. You can get an option for houndstooth seat upholstery, though. I do like the Super Bee logo appearing in the instrument cluster upon startup.
Performance
The moniker of “world’s fastest street legal, naturally aspirated muscle car” should say everything right there. It’s not exactly nimble enough for a road course, but it is comfortable enough for tooling around town. Braking is exceptional with meaty four-pot Brembo brakes all around. Combined fuel economy is 12.9 L/100km, but that of course goes out the window on the drag strip.
Technology
The car's tech suite is largely oriented around racing.Neil Vorano
Its major tech advances surround the racing game, which are all notable. For the street, nothing really new here, though that’s what I question: The infotainment screen is a sizable 8.4 inches, there are electrically adjustable seats and steering wheel, dual climate controls and myriad comfort features – which all add weight to what is meant to be a race car.
Cargo
Do you care? Well, this is also a street-legal car; the trunk is a respectable 485 litres. If you don’t opt for the rear-seat package, a cargo shelf with netting takes their place.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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