The modern revival of the Dodge Charger is a car people outside of These States United have a hard time wrapping their heads around. They'll quip and jest at it for being a big, dumb American land-ship of a sedan that can't go around corners and is on a platform so outdated it makes the three-day-old leftovers in your fridge look appetizing.
Meet John, a 24-year-old mechanic’s apprentice and aspiring muscle car Instagrammer who’s never owned a car that didn’t wear the Dodge logo in his entire life. He drove a sparsely modified 2015 V6 Charger SE-AWD before his current 2016 5.7-liter HEMI V8 Charger build, and a 2003 Durango Magnum V8 before that.
If there was anyone able to explain why Americans are obsessed with modern Chargers, Challengers, and all things Mopar, it’s him. He also happens to be one of my oldest gearhead buddies from way back in high school.
In fairness, the LD platform John’s Charger sits on last had a significant refresh ten years ago. The LD platform, which included the Charger and the current Chrysler 300, shared components with the previous LX platform that first hit American roads in 2004. So, in short, it’s a complete dinosaur, at least to most Europeans. Even so, you won’t hear John or most other Charger drivers complaining much about that.
“I really don’t give a damn if it’s based on an old platform, and I doubt if other people who drive them really care either. It works and it's easy to work on. Can't say that about most cars this powerful,"John said about his Charger. "If anything, since I put coil-overs at all four corners, the car handles like it’s on rails. It has a nice ride for something so big and heavy too.”
Photo: @john_hemi
It’d been a few years since John and I had the chance to get together. He’d been working as a mechanic’s apprentice before the ongoing health crisis forced him and all his fellow techs home indefinitely. To make up for all the lost time, we decided to do something you wouldn’t expect any muscle car driver ever to want to do.
We decided to take John’s Charger on the winding backroads that lead to the affluent Lloyd Harbor neighborhood in the exclusive North Shore of Long Island, New York. Thanks to John’s upgrades, this was just as much fun as it would have been in a European sports car that’s three times the price.
Apart from the BC Racing coilover suspension mentioned above, John’s done a ton of work to his Charger. As an intelligent and highly educated muscle car fan, his first order of business was to have both exhaust resonators and mufflers deleted. Because all those do is make the iconic 5.7 HEMI more tolerable for non-car-enthusiasts, and frankly, who cares what they have to say.
The new four-inch exhaust tips made for a fantastic soundtrack as John ripped through the gears in AutoStick mode up and down the winding roads of Lloyd Harbor. A complete StopTech brake system kit beefs up the Charger’s pads, rotors, and calipers to help all 4,200 and a bit pounds (1,934 kg) from hurdling off the road and into the Long Island Sound. A 3.09 limited-slip differential upgraded from a junked Scat Pack and chunky summer tires measuring 255/45 in the front and 275/40 in the rear further helps those efforts.
Photo: @john_hemi
John couldn’t help but tinker with the 5.7-liter HEMI engine, adding a custom sport tune from Hemifever Tuning based in Apex, North Carolina. John figures his Charger makes around 390 horsepower to the wheels with the new tune. It all came together to become a personalized and totally unique daily driver that brings more smiles per gallon than it gets in miles per gallon. The added Spoilerking roof wing and Barton Industries shifter handle only add to its visual appeal.
The sun started to set as we pulled up to a quiet gravel lot next to a private yacht harbor. It was the perfect opportunity to show off some of the tasteful LED interior and exterior accent lights John had fitted. The light strips in the car’s footwells and undercarriage bathed us both in a warm glow as we talked about old times, but also about why Americans, himself included, are infatuated with modern muscle cars.
“My dream car’s always been a 1969 Charger RT, but those are million-dollar cars these days in the right conditions. The new ones are for sure the next best thing,” John explained as we walked around his car, taking pictures from as many angles as we could. “Sure, a BMW M5 from the same year might be faster at the drag strip or the track. But on real roads, this is just as fast and so much cheaper.”
With that thought, John hit on the nail exactly why Americans love not just modern Mopar, but modern muscle cars in general. To the rest of the world, the Charger is a big, inefficient relic that should have been replaced years ago. But to red-blooded Americans cruising the long, wide interstates in packs like John and his friends like to do, these cars are their ticket to the American dream.
Photo: @john_hemi
As petrolheads, a few common threads bring folks together to bond over their shared passion for four wheels and an engine. As car enthusiasts make their way in the world, we don’t just bond over the vehicles themselves but also the friendships we make along the way. That’s why it was my distinct pleasure to showcase his custom Charger HEMI build
Be sure to check out John’s Instagram page @john_hemi to see the awesome things he has planned for his pride and joy. It’s the least I can do to repay him for those innumerable high school classes texting jpegs of then brand-new Hellcats instead of paying attention.
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