When it comes to the latest generation of pony cars, you’ve got the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro, and the Dodge Challenger. In terms of sales, the Challenger is a distant third to its rivals, and Dodge offers no counterpoint to the Mustang Boss 302, the Shelby GT500, the Camaro 1LE or the Camaro ZL1.
The rumored SRT Barracuda was supposed to level the playing field, coming in smaller and lighter than the Challenger. The cost of the new Barracuda, however, was rumored to be the existence of the Dodge Challenger. Early reports said the Challenger was to be killed off in favor of the Barracuda, but a new report from Automotive News (subscription required) shows that may not be the case.
Instead, the 2015 Challenger will move to a new platform, shedding weight and three inches of wheelbase in the process. Sharing the same platform will be the SRT Barracuda, which will be designed to go up against the fastest cars from its rivals. Rumor is that power may come from a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, which could potentially give the Barracuda the grunt to match the Camaro ZL1 and the Shelby GT500.
Note that we didn’t say “Hemi 6.2-liter V-8,” and the omission was deliberate. For now, Hemis come in 5.7-liters and 6.4-liters, although a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 was also built until 2010. We’re not sure it makes sense for Chrysler to de-stroke the 6.4-liter mill, or bore out the 5.7-liter block, so the rumored 6.2-liter V-8 sounds like an entirely new engine to us.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
