The landscape of V8-powered American pony and muscle cars looks a bit deserted as we head out into the final days of 2023. That's a moment to rejoice for Blue Oval fans and unfortunate times for Chevy and Mopar enthusiasts, indeed.
Earlier this month, we discovered that General Motors ordered Chevrolet to build the final sixth-gen Camaro on December 14 at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan. The company also doesn't have any successor announced to fend off the perils represented by the EcoBoost and 5.0-liter Coyote V8-equipped S650 Ford Mustang – though it didn't kill off the nameplate, either. As of this month, instead, it's in limbo – or development hell, as Hollywood likes to put it.
Meanwhile, the corner office head honchos over at Stellantis have also signaled the end of their era because the well-known Brampton Assembly Plant has also produced the final 2023 Dodge Challenger. What will happen with this nameplate is still unknown, as the parent company only confirmed major investments for Brampton and Windsor to manufacture electrified vehicles. So far, only the two-door liftback Dodge Charger is confirmed with inline-six Hurricane mills and fully electric powertrains.
However, some people don't necessarily want the current Charger to die without an entirely different final hurrah than taking part in the 'Last Call' special edition action. Some of them can also take matters into their own hands – or rather, at the tip of their CGI brushes, as is the case with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. More precisely, Jim, the virtual artist known as jlord8 on social media, as well as the distinctively-named PoloTo automotive news video channel on YouTube, have thought about resurrecting the Dodge Magnum moniker with distinctive Charger station wagon looks.
Jim, for example, uses the current Charger SRT Hellcat to give us the most classic interpretation of the modern Magnum nameplate (the original was a two-door personal luxury coupe) with traditional five-door station wagon styling. This creation might easily get transferred into the real world, by the way, thanks to aftermarket outlets that would be willing to prepare the kits.
The good folks over at PoloTo, instead, have seen their resident pixel master throw a CGI curveball at the Dodge Charger estate design project with some help from AI software, and the widebody Charger has a less practical but sportier two-tier five-door appearance. So, which is your favorite – the practical Magnum revival or the sportier SRT Hellcat Widebody Charger station wagon? Unfortunately, both are merely wishful thinking at the time of writing – so you would better have some excellent DIY skills or enough money to commission a bespoke transformation if you want one in real life!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News