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Custom Dodge Challenger Stolen and Crashed Before SEMA Steals the Show in Vegas

The SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas is all about awesome custom cars, but few can boast of catching the eye like one particular custom Dodge Challenger. And that’s because it’s smashed.
Wrecked Dodge Challenger gets all the attention at 2019 SEMA 6 photos
Photo: Facebook / Quintin Brothers Auto and Performace
Custom Dodge Challenger shows up at SEMA 2019 after being stolen, crashed and recoveredCustom Dodge Challenger shows up at SEMA 2019 after being stolen, crashed and recoveredCustom Dodge Challenger shows up at SEMA 2019 after being stolen, crashed and recoveredCustom Dodge Challenger shows up at SEMA 2019 after being stolen, crashed and recoveredCustom Dodge Challenger shows up at SEMA 2019 after being stolen, crashed and recovered
Literally so. The car was stolen, wrecked and then recovered by the police hours before it went on display. Faced with the choice of giving up on SEMA and going back home, or biting the bullet, as it were, the guys at Quintin Brothers Auto and Performace chose the latter.

The smashed Dodge Challenger is on display at the event, having turned into a highlight of this year’s edition. Make no mistake, it is a beautiful car that stands out for the custom work that went into it, in partnership with ProCharger: it features a 700 hp ProCharger supercharged V8, carbon fiber bodywork and high-end audio system. Quintin Brothers spent over 1,000 hours working on it, estimating the cost of the custom job at more than $200,000.

Speed Society notes that the theft occurred hours before the event, when some dude made off with the ProCharger booth and the entire trailer with the gray Challenger inside. Police were called and, about 11 hours later, they saw the thief at the wheel of the Challenger.

He was able to escape, but not before crashing the car into the cruiser, causing the damage that also went on display at SEMA. Cops found the car abandoned some time later, and even though the thief only had it for about 11 hours and 110 miles, it looked as if he and his entire family had been living it in for years.

As you can see in the photos in the gallery, Quintin Brothers took the car to SEMA as it was at the moment cops recovered it: litter strewn all over the interior (mostly junk food wrappings), a child car seat in the back and the damage caused by ramming into cops. They took a wild gamble by displaying it like that (including with theyellow police line), but it paid off.

After SEMA, the Challenger will go back into the shop and, after 3 or 4 more months, it will be again as new.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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