by Chris Chilton
- A Hemi-equipped Charger SRT8 with a radically different look is being auctioned on Bring a Trailer.
- It’s had a ’68 Charger-style two-door makeover by a US company that builds OEM concept cars.
- Carbon panels and new lights backdate the exterior, but SRT’s 425 hp V8 still lives under the hood.
Back in 2005 when Dodge launched the LX Charger, plenty of enthusiasts were thrilled to see the nameplate return, but disappointed it was on a four-door. One California-based company decided not to complain. Instead, it grabbed a Charger SRT8, a whole lot of carbon fiber, and built the two-door version Dodge never gave us. And now that one-off creation is up for grabs on Bring a Trailer.
If the Metalcrafters name sounds familiar, it’ll be because the California-based crew has spent years building concept cars and prototypes for major automakers like Mercedes and Hyundai. So this de-doored Dodge wasn’t some backyard project. The company took a 2008 Charger SRT8, shortened it and completely reworked its appearance with a hand-formed carbon-fiber body inspired by the legendary 1968 Charger.
Related: Dodge Teases Surprise Summer Debuts, One Might Be The Charger SRT Hellcat
The car – whose dash ties with it being based on a Charger, not a two-door Challenger – gets a full-width grille, concealed-look headlights, recessed door scallops, flying-buttress rear pillars, and four round taillights. There are certainly enough cues to remind you it’s meant to be a vintage Dodge, although the way the waistline kicks up to meet the middle of the C-pillar reminds us more of a ’68 Buick Skylark or Olds Cutlass than that year’s Charger.
Underneath all that carbon fiber lurks a genuine SRT8. Power comes from the original 6.1-liter Hemi V8, which left the factory with 425 hp (431 PS) and 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of torque. This example adds a cold-air intake and custom exhaust, though the biggest attraction is probably still the noise rather than any extra performance advantage.
Full SRT8 Mechanical Package
The rest of the SRT8 hardware remains intact, including Brembo brakes, independent suspension, and a five-speed automatic transmission – equipment that would have seemed impossibly exotic to your average Charger buyer the year Bullitt hit movie theaters.
But there’s nothing exotic about the cabin, which is the usual personality-free setup you got in any FCA car of the period. Stellantis design boss Ralph Gilles recently described Chrysler interiors of this period as being about as hard and plasticky as water pistols.
But even if it’s not the most stylish interior we’ve ever seen, it is at last well equipped, with heated leather seats, dual-zone climate control, and a touchscreen infotainment system. And those seats show minimal wear because the odometer reveals this car has done fewer than 3,400 miles (5,500 km).
Whether you think Dodge should’ve built a coupe version of the LX Charger or not, and whether you think Metalcrafters did a good job, it’s hard not to appreciate the effort that’s gone into it. Want to add it to your collection? You can check out the full Bring-a-Trailer listing here.
BaT
