One Last Rev Down Memory Lane

Nostalgia for bygone eras is one of American drivers’ favorite obsessions. How many great cars there used to be: The 1963 Corvette Stingray. The ’64 Pontiac GTO. The ’67 Chevrolet Camaro.

Steve McQueen’s Mustang in the 1968 movie “Bullitt” still has passionate fans. Even the ’69 Dodge Charger became a star retroactively, when a bright orange one known as the General Lee appeared on TV’s “The Dukes of Hazzard.” And let’s not forget one of the best-named vehicles of the muscle-car age, the Plymouth Barracuda, which, incidentally, was originally set to be called the Panda.

Some of those beloved models have come back in recent years, and now we can add another: Dodge has just unveiled its revamped Challenger. This long-hyped car, first introduced as a concept more than two years ago, aims to provide all of the raw power of the 1970 model with the comfort and convenience of today’s cars.

It is eliciting a heady exuberance.

In Pictures: Muscle Cars Then and Now

“When I first saw it, my pulse started to quicken and the hairs on my neck stood straight up,” said Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting at IRN in Grand Rapids, Mich. “You feel giddy as a kid, and that’s what it’s all about. You get drunk on the car, and pricing becomes less of an issue.”

But what may become an issue for cars like the Challenger is fuel economy.

The original muscle cars, and America’s automotive hegemony, faded out when the oil embargo and stricter pollution laws hit in the early '70s.

This is an ironic time for a comeback. Gas prices are at a record high. The federal government is imposing tougher fuel economy standards. And 16 state governments and environmental groups are suing to push for tougher emissions laws.

With all that going on, many might wonder if a new crop of gas-guzzling muscle cars is the best way for American automakers to get their mojo back.

But some analysts think that the muscle car is the best opportunity for Detroit’s Big Three — Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors — to shine.

“Never compete with Toyota on logic; you will lose,” Merkle said. “If the Big Three are going to get back on their feet again, they need to move away from the idea of a car as transportation. It’s like Rolexes. Rolex is not in the time-keeping business; they wouldn’t be around if they were. People wear a watch, a suit, and they wear a car, too.”

The Challenger does what America’s most-loved cars are known for: It packs a whole lot of power in an unmistakably aggressive-looking package.

J.D. Power & Associates analyst Josh Schuster said the Challenger has a strong visual personality, putting it at the vanguard of an emerging trend.

“Cars have become very generic-looking,” he said. “If you look at crossover vehicles, for example, it’s hard to tell whose product it is. There is a movement to bring back distinctive styling.”

Joining the Challenger in the resurgence of distinctively styled American muscle cars are the Chevrolet Camaro, which is set to go on sale next year, and the long-lived Ford Mustang, which is about to be redesigned. Ford also just began selling a limited edition “Bullitt” version of this car. (Read more about it here.)

It won’t be the first time these muscle cars vie for buyers. The original Challenger, introduced as a 1970 model, also was meant to compete with the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang.

It’s been 35 years, though. (The Challenger was discontinued after 1974.)

And for a domestic auto industry pounded by European and Asian competitors, particularly when it comes to selling more fuel-efficient vehicles, these unashamedly high-performance models stand out as being audacious. They are seemingly aloof to the latest industry-wide crusade for better gas mileage.

The Dodge Challenger SRT8 — the only trim that will be available at first — packs a 6.1-liter V8 engine good for 425 horsepower. (Dodge calls the engine a "Hemi" as a throwback to the original muscle-car engines from the ‘60s that had hemispherical combustion chambers.)

This version of the car is expected to boast a 0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds, and its fuel economy, although not official, is estimated at 13 mpg city and 18 mpg highway.

For now, the Challenger SRT8 will be sold in a limited run of 6,400 cars, with a starting price of $37,995.

But despite the poor gas mileage and $2,100 gas-guzzler tax that will be added to the purchase price, analysts say this country is reluctant to let go of its muscle-car roots.

“There’s a push to be greener, yet American consumers, be they old or young, still have an interest in performance cars,” Schuster said.

Merkle agreed. “The truth is, not everyone wants more fuel-efficient vehicles.”

The uncertain future of muscle cars — caused by new government mandates that require automakers to improve fuel efficiency — might even help sales, said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst for Global Insight in Boston. “It may be the last gasp to buy an SRT-engine vehicle.”

Muscle cars originated in the '60s as radical sedan alternatives for young buyers with some discretionary income. But with today’s youth busy paying back college loans and an increasingly unstable economy making splurge purchases seem insensible, Dodge’s latest baby may be more for the moneyed middle-ager who wants to relive the glory days, analysts say. “The Challenger is not meant for the young consumer,” Merkle said. “Really a third car, it’s for Boomers.”

Dodge disagrees. Kathy Graham, the company’s spokeswoman, said that the market for the Challenger is far less limited than analysts believe.

“It’s for people who had the original, but it’s also for 30- to 35-year-olds who really want an all-American car,” she said. “There’s an emotional connection to buying a car. It doesn’t get better than a muscle car. The look, the sound, the feel of it; it’s a sensory experience.”

In Pictures: Muscle Cars Then and Now