Is history repeating for the Dodge’s Challenger? In 1972 the first Arab oil embargo, mixed with new American safety and air quality legislation, created a toxic concoction that spelled the doom of the original. Just as its successor arrives, the US government fires off the first updating of CAFE fuel economy standards in decades, and gasoline spikes to over $4/gallon, creating a fundamental shift in the buying habits of Americans.

Is there enough fundamental goodness in this musclecar to see it through? If you were to pole the man on the street, the answer would be an unequivocal vote of assent. The Challenger—at least in hi-po SRT8 spec—is everything a piece of historical splendor should be: brash and bold, larger than life—literally, as it’s just over 5m long. Details like the era-correct overhangs and overbite/underbite nose help make it a match for most exotica in sheer attention getting pull.

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If the Dodge’s interior is underwhelming after exposure to its wrapper, at least it’s very well assembled of quality materials, and offers real room for both front and rear occupation. The leather and suede SRT seats are lifted right out of the Charger—which is no bad thing—as they offer supreme long-hall comfort combined with prodigious lateral support. But they do make twirling the period-correct sized tiller more difficult when you’re really trying for some tail-out antics.

Which you’ll want to engage in on a regular basis, such is the biddablity of the Charger’s E-class underwear. It combines an almost exceptional level of compliance over urban scars with excellent resistance to pitch and roll in extremis. The Challenger’s sheer size provides it with a very manageable polar moment of inertia, which, combined with quick-witted steering, encourage broad powerslides that flatter even less than stellar wheelmen in their recoverability.

About the only thing that mitigates against more side-window driving is the five-speed automatic, which insists upon upshifting into second (even in manual mode), dropping the 6.1-liter engine out of its rather high torque band, and causing the Dodge to jerk back onto a less antisocial trajectory rather abruptly. Also, there’s no rev-matching in the Mercedes-derived ‘box’s software, though its tightly wound upshifts are as direct and pleasant as one could wish. The other demerit is the Brembo brakes, which wilt under hard use and have an initial squishiness unworthy of their size and piston count. At least the ESP is fully-defeatable.

The 425hp Hemi engine itself is a joy: strong off the line, yet very willing to rev. That its 420lb-ft is developed at a high 4800rpm might be surprising, but the way it climbs up onto the cam is very addictive, especially as it is accompanied by such a gloriously stirring, hard-edged exhaust note. The hard numbers are decent, too, with a 0-60 dash of 4.7 and a low-13’s quarter.

We don’t know what the shelf life of the Dodge’s striking yet unoriginal styling will be, or what history’s verdict might be on its social relevance. Yet for an enthusiast, just its politically incorrect existence is cause for celebration, as is the affordable and accessible performance the Challenger SRT8 proffers.

Price range: $40,095-41,985

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