According to Barry Dressel, manager of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, pony cars are in the vortex. “The moving centerpiece of the antique car hobby is cars that are 30 to 40 years old,” Dressel said. “It’s now the muscle cars of the ‘70s that hold the most nostalgia for many that were too young to own one or couldn’t afford one,” said the classic car historian. “If you follow the antique car market and look at Hemmings Motor News, for instance, these are the cars that are bringing astounding prices – the cars with Hemi engines, for instance. But, with a new car you have none of the drawbacks and compromises, and a lot of the joy of owning a muscle car.”

“Another piece of the past 10 to 15 years is that the domestic automakers were not paying attention to brand-building. In fact, their goal was not to make things look like a past model,” Dressel explained. “Now, they are burnishing their brands and nameplates, and see the affection. Using these names is continuity and brand building – its reminding people of their heritage.”

With the Dodge Challenger Concept, “we’re trying to be true to our brand,” explained Jim Yetter, senior marketing and brand manager Dodge car, talking about one of the hottest models at this year’s North American International Auto Show. “Dodge is an emotional brand and, for awhile, we got away from that. Take the Dynasty, for example. (The Dodge Dynasty was a large sedan made in the early 1990s that should have been called the Dodge Nasty – Ed.) We did well with our big, bold trucks and we let it go with cars. In the past, we did great muscle cars (with paint color names) like Plum Crazy, Go-Man-Go…performance was a lot about that – it was about colors, wheels, graphics and expressing who you are. A lot of people remember that and those cars are now going for hundreds of thousands of dollars at Barrett-Jackson.”

“Cars like the new 2006 Charger and the Challenger Concept mine the Hemi past – the Mopar boys – and show that Ford isn’t the only game in town,” said Yetter. Chrysler has reported that the new Dodge Challenger Concept, with design that is strongly based on the original 1970-74 Challenger, has been engineered to be driven, and could hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of 174 mph.

Although the Challenger Concept is an idealized image of this pony-car icon that had a production run of only five years, Yetter is quick to point out that DaimlerChrysler is already reaping the rewards of “Hemi-mania” without it, thanks to engines in 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter displacement available in the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Ram pickups.

“Today’s appeal is bi-modal. These cars are not just for people who had one or wanted one, but also for younger consumers who like cool cars, live life to the fullest, and care about cars. They’ve been impacted by movies like The Fast and the Furious,” said Yetter. “The important thing, however, is that the Challenger Concept is done with today’s technology, the Hemi with DaimlerChrysler’s Multiple-Displacement fuel savings System (MDS) and other modern technologies that allow you to bring that package back, in a modern way.”

In fact, the Dodge Challenger Concept also benefits from the success and heritage of the Hemi engine, for under its long hood is a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 with 425 horsepower matched to a six-speed manual gearbox, manipulated by a pistol-grip shifter.

“There’s been a shift from two-door to four-door. Some 80 percent of the market when (the original) Mustang and Challenger were out was two-door. Now, it’s 80 percent four-door. We recognized that and that’s why we went with the four-door Charger. We made it into a modern muscle car with four doors – a family-sized sports car. That car has the essence of Charger,” explained Yetter.

“The Challenger is a show car, but we’ve already had a fantastic response from it with blogs, and letters,” enthused Yetter. “We’re tracking the emotion behind it – there’s a lot from 30- to 50-year-olds, and there’s also a market for two-doors from the 20- and 30-year-olds. But, the new vehicle has to be true and have integrity to live up to what the car of the past was – and that is high horsepower, performance suspension, performance wheels and tires, exciting colors, and a look and feel of the ‘70s with an interior done in a modern way.”