Photo: jlord8/Instagram
Remember all those rumors about Chrysler planning to revive the Barracuda nameplate under the Dodge division? Well, we haven't heard any news in a long time, but we do know that the V8-powered Dodge Challenger is going away after the 2023 model year.
It's all part of the company's plan to turn both the Challenger and Charger into EVs, which will happen when the next generations of these nameplates arrive in 2024. This doesn't mean that the Barracuda won't make a comeback. But if it does, it will also have its traditional V8 replaced with electric motors and a battery pack.
While the fate of the iconic 'Cuda remains uncertain, rendering whizz "jlord8" decided to revive a different Plymouth nameplate from the past. I'm talking about the Duster, a compact car that Mopar's long-lost division produced from 1969 to 1976.
Yes, it's not the first Plymouth that comes to mind when talking about the golden muscle car era, but it's a breath of fresh air in a sea of modernized Barracudas. And because it's based on the current Dodge Challenger, it looks very familiar too.
Granted, it makes more sense to render a 'Cuda based on the Challenger since they shared underpinnings in the past. The original Duster was built on a different platform and shares components with the Dodge Dart. But the rendering world is rarely about heritage and classes.
And the fact that this Duster is based on the Challenger isn't even the most ridiculous thing about it. Have you noticed the big nostrils on the hood? Yup, this Duster was penned around the Challenger SRT Super Stock. Yup, this virtual Duster packs a Hellcat V8 with 807 horsepower on tap.
But this creation is a bit more than just a Challenger with a different badge. The artist made the rear end and the C-pillars longer for that fastback-style Duster stance, while the Challenger grille and headlamps arrangement was replaced altogether.
The hood and the fenders now flank one single headlamp at each corner plus a pair of turn signals mounted inside the grille. The horizontal bar in the lower air intake and the bulge in the center of the grille round off the Duster-inspired front fascia.
The artist also added a blacked-out hood and black decals along the beltline, a hint that he most likely used the Duster 340 from the early 1970s as inspiration. Finally, the Challenger's five-spoke wheels were replaced by a modern iteration of Mopar's legendary Rallye wheels.
Yes, the Duster may never come back from the dead and the Hellcat V8 is pretty much dead and buried, but this contraption looks amazing. And it makes me wish Plymouth was still around.
While the fate of the iconic 'Cuda remains uncertain, rendering whizz "jlord8" decided to revive a different Plymouth nameplate from the past. I'm talking about the Duster, a compact car that Mopar's long-lost division produced from 1969 to 1976.
Yes, it's not the first Plymouth that comes to mind when talking about the golden muscle car era, but it's a breath of fresh air in a sea of modernized Barracudas. And because it's based on the current Dodge Challenger, it looks very familiar too.
Granted, it makes more sense to render a 'Cuda based on the Challenger since they shared underpinnings in the past. The original Duster was built on a different platform and shares components with the Dodge Dart. But the rendering world is rarely about heritage and classes.
And the fact that this Duster is based on the Challenger isn't even the most ridiculous thing about it. Have you noticed the big nostrils on the hood? Yup, this Duster was penned around the Challenger SRT Super Stock. Yup, this virtual Duster packs a Hellcat V8 with 807 horsepower on tap.
But this creation is a bit more than just a Challenger with a different badge. The artist made the rear end and the C-pillars longer for that fastback-style Duster stance, while the Challenger grille and headlamps arrangement was replaced altogether.
The hood and the fenders now flank one single headlamp at each corner plus a pair of turn signals mounted inside the grille. The horizontal bar in the lower air intake and the bulge in the center of the grille round off the Duster-inspired front fascia.
The artist also added a blacked-out hood and black decals along the beltline, a hint that he most likely used the Duster 340 from the early 1970s as inspiration. Finally, the Challenger's five-spoke wheels were replaced by a modern iteration of Mopar's legendary Rallye wheels.
Yes, the Duster may never come back from the dead and the Hellcat V8 is pretty much dead and buried, but this contraption looks amazing. And it makes me wish Plymouth was still around.
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