GentleCars

2015 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Revealed, Now Available With Supercharged V-8

It was last summer that Dodge showed off a prototype of its new drag racer based on its latest Challenger muscle car, the 2015 Challenger Drag Pak, and now the final version has made its debut. The big news is that a supercharged engine is being offered for the first time, in this case a supercharged 5.8-liter (354-cubic-inch) HEMI V-8. Of course, a naturally aspirated V-8 is still available, the 7.0-liter (426-cubic-inch) HEMI V-8 that we saw in the prototype.

The new supercharged engine features a cast-iron block, forged steel crankshaft, Mopar-spec camshaft and a custom performance engine calibration. Opting for the Challenger Drag Pak with this engine will set you back $109,354. The naturally aspirated engine is built off an aluminum block with pressed-in steel liners and aluminum cylinder heads. Like the supercharged engine, the naturally aspirated mill includes a custom engine calibration and loom. Cars equipped with this engine will set you back $99,426.

MORE: 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat First Drive Video

Specific performance figures are yet to be delivered but Dodge says the car, regardless of engine, is the most powerful Challenger Drag Pak to date. That’s impressive considering previous incarnations came with the Viper’s 8.4-liter V-10. And what we do know is that a Chrysler-based 727 automatic transmission, upgraded from last year’s model to handle both engines, is standard and comes with a race-style stick shifter with integral line lock. Drive goes to the rear wheels via an aluminum driveshaft, and in the trunk sits a weigh box and battery.

Furthermore, the front suspension sports a unique Mopar K-Member and suspension geometry, with double adjustable compression and rebound struts. Up back is a four-link setup with Panhard bar, Strange Engineering 4-inch solid axle with 9-inch aluminum third member, 40-spline gun-drilled axles, shocks with adjustable compression and rebound, and an anti-roll bar. One major upgrade over the previous car is strengthened rear-axle mounting, which is said to help the cars launch faster.

The vehicle is equipped with 15-inch wheels at all four corners, and mounted on these are Hoosier drag radials with front tires that measure 28x4.5 inches and rear rubbers measuring 30x9 in. Stopping power comes from slotted front and rear brake rotors, with race-specific calipers and master cylinder.

MORE: Hellcat Converted To E85 Sees 753 Rear-Wheel Horsepower

So how does the 2015 Challenger Drag Pak perform on the strip? “In the first runs the new Drag Pak ran consistently in the eights while improving times at the 60-foot mark,” Mopar Motorsports marketing manager Dale Aldo explains. “We are extremely pleased with the results obtained during our testing.”

Like previous Challenger Drag Paks, the latest 2015 model is designed for several of the National Hot Rod Association classes. This means they get a full roll cage fabricated to NHRA specifications, along with lightweight racing seats, safety nets and harnesses. The order books will open in late July, and as in previous years production will be limited.

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2016 Ford Focus RS Coming With 345 Horsepower

The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] has made big promises to blow your enthusiast face off as of late. The Blue Oval is certainly delivering too, with the arrival of a new GT supercar, a new Raptor performance pickup, and the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R duo. There's one machine noticeably absent from that list, though, and that’s the new Focus RS. It is coming though, and Ford has finally revealed an important piece of missing information: the power.

We can finally confirm that the new Focus RS hot hatch’s turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine will deliver a maximum output of 345 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque, with the latter rising to 347 lb-ft for up to 15 seconds thanks to overboost during hard acceleration. The rev limit has been set at 6,800 rpm.

The same engine is found in the Mustang EcoBoost, where it delivers 310 hp. For the Focus RS, the engine features a new low-inertia twin-scroll turbocharger with a larger compressor that delivers significantly greater air flow, along with a much bigger intercooler to maximize charge density. Engine breathing is also enhanced through a less restrictive intake design, and a large-bore high performance active exhaust system.

Furthermore, the cylinder head is produced from an upgraded alloy material capable of withstanding higher temperatures, while the cylinder block employs stronger high-tensile cast iron liners. Engine cooling also has been given the highest priority, with engineers creating additional space within the front of the vehicle to house a significantly larger radiator pack.

The 345-hp output makes the new Focus RS one of the most potent vehicles in its class, though Mercedes-AMG’s A45 and the Audi RS 3 are hotter still, delivering 355 and 362 hp respectively. Nevertheless, the car will be hard to beat on the track thanks to its sophisticated chassis technology, which includes the new Ford Performance all-wheel-drive system and driver mode selector complete with a “Drift” mode that allows controlled oversteer drifts.

Featured above is a video showing a pre-production Focus RS being prepared for this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, where rally driver Ken Block will drive the car up the famous hill climb. This is how the RS will want to be driven, and this is how we plan to drive it when we get our ham-fisted mitts on it.

For more Goodwood Festival of Speed coverage, head to our dedicated hub.

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Tesla Walking Away From Battery Swapping

Tesla Motors' [NSDQ:TSLA] next big advancement in reducing range anxiety was its battery-swapping solution. The technology was announced in 2013 but has only made it to one Supercharger station as of today.

During a recent shareholder meeting, the same one where it was announced the Model X SUV was coming soon, Elon Musk shared that Tesla was not seeing a high take rate on customers swapping batteries. Musk’s comments likely mean that battery swapping won’t be supported much going forward.

Musk stated that Tesla sent invitations to all California customers to try out the sole battery swap station and that only 4-5 percent of people responded. He also followed by stating that the Supercharger stations are highly successful and that since they are free most customers don't mind waiting for a charge. He pushed the fact that the Superchargers are free and as long as they are used sparingly will continue to be free.

The issue with his statements and the low take rate on the battery swaps is that all the customers that were invited had to schedule a time to have the swap completed. This may work for a service appointment but it's not something you would reasonably expect for someone on a road trip to schedule ahead of their trip. It's the equivalent of asking someone with an internal combustion engine to schedule an exact time for fuel stops.

Written by Bozi Tatarevic.

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