Today, Dodge announced the new 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, a lightweight, dragstrip-oriented version of the Challenger R/T. In essence, it's a naturally aspirated, narrow-body version of the Challenger Demon, named "1320" for the number of feet in a quarter-mile. With a 485-horsepower, 6.4-liter V8, a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds, and a quarter-mile of 11.7 seconds, Dodge says it's the quickest naturally aspirated muscle car on sale today. It's also the result of a brilliant strategy that reminds us of one of our other favorite performance-car brands, Porsche. And no, we haven't lost our minds.

Much of the cool stuff from the Challenger Demon has slowly trickled down into the rest of the Challenger lineup. The 840-horsepower Demon’s bolt-on fender flares soon found a new home on the 707-horse Hellcat Widebody for 2018. The huge 2.7-liter supercharger from the Demon, along with some supporting engine mods, help give the 2019 Hellcat Redeye its 797-horsepower rating. And the 2019 R/T Scat Pack Widebody is basically a Hellcat Widebody without the supercharger. Plus, there's the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which borrows its 707-horsepower engine from the Hellcat and receives the Demon's clever Torque Fill system for quick dragstrip launches. Basically, Fiat-Chrysler has been spreading the Demon's best bits all around the SRT family.

Dodge

The new R/T Scat Pack 1320 joins that list. From the Demon, the 1320 gets adaptive dampers with a special mode to help transfer weight to the rear axle during launches; a TransBrake that locks the output shaft of the eight-speed automatic to build revs at a standstill at the starting line; and Torque Reserve, a computer-controlled ignition timing system designed to maximize the power the engine's kicking out as the car is straining to leave the starting line.



There's also a line-lock function so you can preheat the tires with a big smoky burnout, and systems to minimize wheelspin and axle-hop on hard drag launches. For hardware, the 1320 gets upgraded half-shafts from the Demon, plus sticky, 275-mm wide Nexen street-legal drag radials, a super-sticky summer-only tire. And like the Demon, the 1320 comes standard with only a driver's seat, for maximum weight saving—though you can option a front passenger seat and rear seats for $1 each. Equipped with only a driver's seat, the 1320 weighs 4127 lbs—87 lbs lighter than a regular R/T Scat Pack. In terms of looks, the 1320 is closer to a narrow-body Hellcat—it has that car's vent-and-scoop hood and large trunk spoiler—though the split grille and the "1320" bumblebee logo give it away as a non-supercharged Challenger.

Dodge

So how does this remind us of Porsche? The German automaker employs a similar mix-and-match strategy with its performance cars. Take the Cayman GT4—it borrows the engine from the 911 Carrera S and front suspension from a 911 GT3, in the body of a run-of-the-mill Cayman S. The result is one of the most desirable cars Porsche has made in the last few years, created mostly from parts it had already developed for other high-performance models.



There's also the 911 R, which put the 500-hp, 4.0-liter engine from the 911 GT3 RS in the narrower non-RS GT3 body, with some additional bespoke parts and chassis tuning. Or look at the Carrera T, which combines a base 911 engine with some of the best parts from the higher-price Carrera S and GTS.

Now look at the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 and tell me it's not basically the same thing.

The whole Challenger family is a mix-and-match of parts, from hood scoops to fender flares to spoilers and drivetrain components. Dodge

So yes, the 1320 is a bit of a parts-bin mashup, a drag strip special for those who couldn't go full Demon. Oh, and you probably won't have to get in line at your local dealer, or pay an insane markup, to get one. And that's where a difference between Dodge and Porsche emerges. When the German company combines its best parts to create something like a GT4, a 911 R, or a Carrera T, it usually ends up being a pricy, limited-production special edition. Dodge has been taking the opposite route, introducing the eye-popping Demon, then slowly trickling a variety of the Demon's signature features down to lesser models in the Challenger lineup.



This is Dodge's cheapest drag-racer yet: The 1320 package adds just $3995 to the $40,590 MSRP of an automatic-transmission R/T Scat Pack (this package isn't available with the manual). All in, you'll be out the door for well under $50,000. A bargain, if you ask us.

And when was the last time you called any special-edition Porsche a bargain? In that regard, we're glad Dodge hasn't followed Porsche's lead.

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