Manoli Katakis 
The Dodge Challenger 50th Anniversary Edition was revealed last month to commemorate the iconic muscle car nameplate, which you can read more about here. The latest news is that now the order books have just opened. Officially, Dodge has kept things quiet, but if you’re keen on getting the color you want (just 70 of each color of each variant will be produced), you better high tail it to your closest Dodge dealer, or at least give them a call.
Deliveries will start in the early spring of 2020.
The Dodge Challenger 50th Anniversary Edition package will be available on GT RWD, R/T, R/T Scat Pack, and R/T Scat Pack Widebody models. Pricing for the package starts at $4,995 for the GT model, $5,495 for the R/T, and $5,995 for the Scat Pack as well as the Widebody. Meanwhile, the 2020 Challenger SRT Hellcat and 2020 Challenger Hellcat Redeye models will feature a 50th Anniversary grille badge to celebrate the occasion.
Fifty long years ago, the Dodge Challenger entered production, and then it… died. It died five short years after it crashed the pony car party (thanks, OPEC). Then it came back as a front wheel drive fastback, that would have been a lot cooler if power was sent to the rear wheels instead. To that effect, the Challenger died once again. Yet it was never, ever far from the hearts of the True Believers at Dodge. So despite the world’s best efforts to kill this remnant of a supposedly bygone era, the Dodge Challenger has come back again.
Whereas the first-generation Dodge Challenger was cut down in its prime, today’s Challenger continues to fight on in an unrelenting fashion, with the current generation dating back to the 2008 model year. Despite the age, things continue to get even better, with more power, more grip, more packages, and more sophistication to enter the fold during the most gradual (and graceful) progression we’ve observed from a muscle car.
The secret to the recent success of the Dodge Challenger (and Dodge Charger) is simple: bad ass looks, and power. More power, all the time. Where other automakers have overthought the process (whether they will admit it or not), that’s all that is required to stay relevant in this segment.
