Hot Wheels made a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T model. It seemed large and kind of blocky next to Mattel's Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. The real Challenger was a conveyance for the emerging decade that transformed the ponycar into a musclecar, sharing its platform with the smaller Plymouth Barracuda, not with any compact sedan. A modern musclecar, the 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T has 6.4 inches more wheelbase and six inches more overall length than the 1970, making it full-size by almost any measure. Because it shares the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger's tall firewall, the Challenger is longer than those two sedans, despite a four-inch cut in its wheelbase. The Challenger had to be long to maintain its elegant, retro-futuristic proportions, right down to its long overbite/underbite grille and serious blind-spot C-pillars. If you're one of the purists who complained the Charger shouldn't have four doors, your coupe has arrived. 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T and 2009 Dodge Challenger SE - First Drive - Motor Trend M
