People Still Go Crazy over the 2009 Dodge Challenger's Looks

People Still Go Crazy over the 2009 Dodge Challenger's LooksIf it looks like I was trying to hide the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T in the shadows of the night, it's because I was.  After a day full of people expressing their admiration for the nouveau-muscle machine, I longed to escape from the public's eye.Following a series of road tests, I was assigned to pilot the Challenger back to the office.  Not a bad task, I thought - the car looks great, sounds better, and - as I found - is quite comfortable over most freeway surfaces.  Coupling that 5.7-liter Hemi with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission made the job even easier.But then the visual impact of such a car sank in.  Though the Challenger attracted plenty of interest when we had it in our office, and when an associate editor ran it through the heart of NASCAR country, I figured its celebrity had cooled over the past six months or so.Boy, was I wrong.  I was merely cruising in the left lane, minding my own business, when I happened to glance up at the vehicle in the next lane.  It was your standard 35-foot-long Blue Bird school bus, but the grade-school kids occupying the last five rows of seating were pressed to the windows, ogling the Challenger from every angle they could.  I gave blipped of the throttle and sped off - ensuring their afternoon would be spent not working on algebra problems, but doodling Dodges in their notebooks instead.The interest continued throughout the day.  Hordes of people stared as I (regularly) re-fueled the beast; truckers gave thumbs-ups while moving out of my way.  Four fellows in a tricked-out Impala gave chase for about 150 miles, regularly passing me and dropping back in order to snap photos on their Razr phones.Attention waned somewhat once I returned to Michigan - after all, since we're home to both Chrysler's headquarters and proving grounds, a Challenger is a semi-regular appearance in southeastern Michigan.  My relief proved to be short-lived: though the chases ended, the persistent questions began.  After a multitude of identical questions, I began pointing to the two chrome "HEMI" badges on the hood.  That seemed to answer a good 95 percent of most inquiries...The "Tor-Red" paint and hood stripes also seemed to land the Challenger the wrong type of attention.  A good number of smokies paid close attention to the muscle car - even when close to home.  Around midnight, I rolled through Chelsea, Michigan, with the R/T's booming exhaust echoing off buildings in the deserted downtown.  The noise seemed to catch the attention of an on-duty cop, who swung his Crown Vic around to follow me.He rolled up to me at a stop light, gave the car a quick once-over, and stared right at me.  As the light turned green, he (thankfully) gave me not a ticket, but yet another thumbs-up.Read More | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us