Manoli Katakis 
The track-only Mopar Drag Pak was announced during the 2019 SEMA Show last November, and it was expected at the time that deliveries would have started by now. Then COVID-19 happened. We’ve detailed ad nauseam what sort of setbacks the auto industry has faced as a result, let alone the loss of thousands of human lives, so we won’t spend any more time on that. We all understand at this point. But today there’s good news: The 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak is finally getting ready to launch. The NHRA-prepped muscle car will be limited to just 50 units, and will command a base MSRP of $143,485. Reservations open today, and customers will be able to place their order next week, on September 9. Moreover, the configurator is live.
Per Mopar, Customer pickup is required from Watson Engineering in Brownstown, MI. The Drag Pak without seats and wheels/tires actually runs $135,995. But Mopar informs us that customers have to order these parts. Ergo, $135,995 + $2,625 base Racetech seats + $4,865 base Bogart wheels/tires, and it brings us to a $143,485 MSRP. Racetech seats with head restraints are also optional for $5,495, and a set of Weld beadlock wheels are available for $6,895. There are also five different high-impact color options for $995 each, and heritage graphics for $5,995 each. Fully optioned, a Mopar Drag Pak can run $155,375.
The fourth-generation Drag Pak starts life as a standard-width Dodge Challenger Body-in-White unibody built at the Brampton Assembly Plant in Brampton, Ontario. Don’t let these mundane roots fool you, as this muscle car is a serious factory-built, track-only drag racing machine. Dodge says that the fourth-generation Challenger Drag Pak builds on lessons the automaker learned from the previous Drag Pak Challenger, which was able to claim the NHRA and NMCA world championships in 2018.
After the unibody leaves the assembly line, the car is fitted with an SFI-spec Body-integrated welded roll cage, which is certified for ETs as low as 7.50 seconds. After the safety gear is out of the way, the Challenger Drag Pak is fitted with a number of mechanical chassis and suspension upgrades, like a unique engine cross member that lowers the center of gravity and improves weight distribution. Changes to the front of the car also include specific Bilstein double-adjustable struts to help make sure this Mopar is competitive in NHRA and NMCA competitions. Like the factory built COPO Camaro, this race-ready Challenger is intended to compete in sportsman class events sanctioned by either respective series.
Under the hood of this factory racer sits a supercharged 354 cubic-inch Hemi V8 engine mated to a T400 three-speed transmission with a Kwik-Shift manual shifter. While this isn’t a new iteration of the legendary 426 cubic-inch Hemi, we’re sure this motor is more than capable of sending this muscle car 1320 feet rather effectively. Other Drag Pak specific modifications include a unique lightweight driveshaft, front and rear racing-style brakes, Racetech seats, a Racepak Smartwire fully programmable power distribution center and an exclusive Drag Pak lightweight wheel and tire combo.
