Dodge brings back big hood scoops

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS -- There's going to be a new option for buyers of the Dodge Challenger next year that will pay even more homage to the great muscle cars of the 1960s.

It's an air-induction scoop sticking up through a hole in the hood.

With an assist from Chrysler's Mopar aftermarket parts division, buyers of the 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T will be able to buy a "shaker" edition -- so named for the so-called "shaker hood" that will come with it. It is designed to further showcase the car's 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi engine.

That might not sound like rocket science, but bringing the look back is tougher than it sounds. Lots of safety regulations have changed since the heyday of the 1960s muscle cars. Plus, engineers had to make sure the scoop won't be clogged by snow, sleet and rain.

The hood scoop's return came at the place where Dodge and Mopar are likely to find a high concentration of nostalgic high-performance addictes, the SEMA aftermarket auto parts trade show here. Dodge showed off a 1970 Challenger, as well as the new one, to see how close in concept the new shaker hood is to the original.

"The legendary 'shaker' performance hood is back...making the new 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker the real deal," said Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Dodge Brand in a statement. "With Challenger having its best sales-year ever, the time is right to provide our most loyal fans with the return of the shaker."

It's called a shaker because back when they were popular, you could see the engine vibrating, or shaking, from the parts sticking oer the hood.

The new 2014 Challenger R/T Shaker will arrive at Dodge dealerships in the early next year at $36,995 before delivery charges are added, or $37,495 a buyer wants the racing stripes too. The shaker option, which includes a few other performance items, is $2,500 more than the Challenger R/T Classic. Through Mopar, the shaker hood feature can also be added to other late-model Challengers.