The automatic version, it turns out, is actually quite satisfying to drive, too.įirst, the numbers. We tested the manual version a few months ago, and that car also lost a three-way comparison test with a Ford Mustang GT and a Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE, yet this Challenger impressed us with its brute force, bad-ass attitude, and ear-shredding exhaust note. Sharing its naturally aspirated, 392-cubic-inch pushrod V-8 (Dodge likes to cite the displacement in cubic inches because heritage!) with the pricier, somewhat higher-tech SRT 392 model, the R/T Scat Pack comes with a choice of a six-speed Tremec TR6060 manual or, for $1400 more, an eight-speed paddle-shifted TorqueFlite automatic. The latest example of this reality is the 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack, one of the more beastly muscle cars to ever have leapt from a Detroit-based engineering department. Tested: 2015 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 6.4L Manual.Tested: 2017 Dodge Challenger T/A 392 Automatic.2019 Dodge Challenger R/T 1320 Is a Go-Fast Thrill.Still, for a brief shining moment, the Scat Pack demonstrated what could be accomplished with just a little creativity and a lot of horsepower, and paved the way for its own revival many decades later. So successful was the entire initiative that Plymouth got into the act with its "Rapid Transit System," which would run from 1970 to 1972, and included the 'Cuda, the GTX, the Superbird, the Duster 340, and the Roadrunner.īut 1973 spelled doom for most American muscle cars, as insurance concerns and emissions regulations slowly choked the life out of large V8s - a sad state of affairs that would last until the mid-'80s. By 1970, the family had grown to include the Charger Daytona and the Dodge Challenger, and when the final year of the Scat Pack came to pass, the Dodge Demon 340 was also included. The Scat Pack logo was a variation on the drag-racing Super Bee found on, well, the Dodge Super Bee, and collectively the group of cars was referred to as "the hive." The marketing team went on the warpath, blanketing dealerships, magazines, and television with references to Scat City and the full line-up of Scat Pack cars. For the money, members received a monthly newsletter, a quarterly magazine, a wallet card declaring their loyalty, a bumper sticker, a jacket patch, and a racing guide. It was a play on words - the Rat Pack had been Sinatra's gang of Hollywood pals that became legendary for their partying and the pictures they made together - and as such Dodge also created an actual Scat Pack Club that both car owners and Mopar fans could join for the very affordable price of $3. The problem was put to the talented team at the Ross Roy Ad Agency, which came up with the idea of the "Scat Pack" designation that would encompass all of these cars. What was missing, however was a way to unify each of these uniquely named models under a single, world-beating banner - an issue that would only get worse with the introduction of the Dodge Super Bee mid-year. A 340-cubic-inch Dart Swinger was also available, and of course 426 Hemi power was also in the cards for all three models. By the time 1968 rolled around, Dodge was in the catbird seat with its line-up of fierce street machines, including the Dodge Coronet R/T, the Dodge Charger R/T, and the Dodge Dart GTS, each of which could be ordered with an (underrated) 375-horsepower, 440-cubic-inch V8 under the hood. The late '60s represented the fiercest period of competition between the Big Three (and to a lesser extent, AMC) for the attentions of speed-thirsty American buyers.
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