Dodge Challenger And Chevy Camaro Concept Cars

If nothing else, the Camaro and Challenger concept cars shown at January's '06 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit are terrific teases; the vehicular equivalent of great looking women in short skirts and heels who will spend an entire night dropping provocative hints and making furtive eye contact but won't even commit to a good-night kiss. No, we don't know if either of these cars is headed for production. And it's possible, just possible, that Chevrolet and Dodge don't know either. But there's plenty of reason for hope.

So let's enjoy the agony of anticipation while it lasts, because even if these cars aren't the answer to some of hot rodding's dreams, at least they have the potential to be. They revive two names at the heart of automotive enthusiasm; their specifications are tantalizing in a way that makes brains throb; they could compete against Ford's ludicrously successful market-to-itself Mustang; their potential for hot rodding is infinite; and their existence indicates that someone in Detroit is listening to us. Or at least they recognize an obvious business opportunity when it does a burnout in their face.

Just as the original Camaro and Challenger would never have been conceived or have gone into production were it not for the stunning success of Ford's world-changing '65 Mustang, these concepts wouldn't exist if Ford's '05 Mustang hadn't been a smash hit. In an automotive market driven by special pricing deals, hemmed in by high gas prices, and where the mainstream press fawns over hybrids like the Toyota Prius, the new Mustang-and particularly the V-8- powered GT-has been flying off lots for full sticker price. And it's just about the only American-designed, American-made, American-to-its-marrow car that's been doing that. Of course Dodge and Chevy noticed.

And the companies responded in pretty much the same way they did nearly 40 years ago-they looked at their respective parts bins and figured out how they could use stuff they already had on hand. But unlike before, now they had their own ponycar heritages to draw upon. So the Concept Challenger looks a lot like the original '70 Challenger, and the Concept Camaro has a lot of lines pulled from the classic '67-'69 Camaro. Like the current Mustang however, neither is a direct copy of any previous car. Instead they draw on many familiar design elements and expand upon them in a modern way.

The Challenger was conjured up at Chrysler's Pacifica design studio in California and fabricated by Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley. By late November it was complete, and hazy spy shots of it were showing up on the Internet. It looks a lot better in focus. As this was written, GM's design staff was still furiously working in Michigan to complete the Concept Camaro in time for its debut at NAIAS. The car was nowhere near done, so all we have is photos of the thrash to complete it and some near-photorealistic computer renderings of the intended results. Photos of the completed vehicle are available at HOTROD.com, and you can argue all you like about its pluses and minuses on our online forums.

If Chrysler and GM decide to put these cars into production, don't expect them on dealer lots next week. Of the two, the Challenger is further along in its development and could make it to consumers as an '08 model. The Camaro, on the other hand, couldn't hit production lines before 2009 or 2010. Still, that's less than four years away. Our conclusion is this: The world will be a better place if there are worthy new Camaros and Challengers being born into it.