The News for July 20th, 2018

Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. There’s also just a little opinion of mine because I can. This week:

• Dodge throws Demon parts at R/T Scat Pack to create 1320 package

• Ford is on track for a record F-Series sales year

• Ford to re-open GT applications for the remaining ~250 cars

• What’s your automotive news?

2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320

There are currently 16 ways to order a Dodge Challenger but Dodge has still felt the need to come up with another. Say hello to the Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, which as the name implies is a drag-oriented muscle car with the “grassroots drag racer in mind“. With a tagline like that you’d expect it to be a 3rd owner mule that was rebuilt in a garage with bare hands and not a brand-new car that someone had to pay a markup on, but I digress.
It does take its 1320 namesake seriously though as many of the drag strip-focused enhancements carried by the Challenger SRT Demon find their way here. Think of the R/T Scat Pack 1320 as a Demon Light with most of the same enhancements found in the Demon but with 43% fewer calories ponies to manage.
The tried and true 392 Hemi V8 continues to deliver 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque as with all Scat Packs, but the 1320 package mandates that it be paired to an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Helping to make the most of its straight line potential is the addition of TransBrake, Torque Reserve, Line Lock (mandatory on all muscle cars), performance-tuned asymmetrical limited-slip differential with 3.09 final drive, and the same extreme-duty 41-spline half shafts found on the Demon.
Because you still need traction to effectively launch all that power, Dodge selected specially-developed Nexen SUR4G Drag Spec 275/40R20 street-legal drag radials for the job. One reason for the selection is that engineers managed consistent run times with minimal burnout preparation at the drag strip. They apparently generate enough grip to require knurled bead seats to limit tire slip on the wheel. Another useful feature that was added is the SRT-tuned Adaptive Damping Suspension with Drag Mode, a setting that allows for more weight transfer towards the rear for better traction on launch.

The usual list of interior and tech features found in the regular R/T Scat Pack carry over, but there are two options that are unique to the 1320 – the passenger seat and the back seats. This gimmick grassroots drag racing feature is borrowed from the Demon as well and means the standard R/T Scat Pack 1320 comes with just the driver’s seat for maximum weight reduction. The passenger seat and rear bench can be bought back for $1 each.
To answer the all important question of how well this all works, Dodge offers up the numbers that matter. The R/T Scat Pack 1320 runs said 1320 in 11.7 seconds at 115 mph, which is a 0.3 second improvement over the regular R/T Scat Pack. That doesn’t sound like much but three-tenths of a second is a decent gap in the world of racing. Its 0-60 mph time is also cut by 0.3 seconds down to 3.8 seconds.
To answer the even more important question of whether or not it’s worth it, consider this. The R/T Scat Pack starts at $38,995, not including the $1,395 destination charge. The 1320 pack with all the new features and the 0.3 second time reduction is a $3,995 option. However, by forcing you to get the 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, that adds an additional $1,595 to the asking price. So the true price premium for the 1320 package is $5,590, which comes out to $1,863.33 per tenth of a second that’s saved when the Christmas tree goes green. #grassroots
[Source: Dodge]

Ford F-Series on Track to Break Sales Record

Perhaps its a sign of the times or simply a testament to Ford’s dominant position in the truck market, but Ford is on track to break their own annual sales record with the F-Series. The benchmark is 939,511 F-Series sold throughout the calendar year of 2004.
This forecast from Automotive News comes after Ford’s first half results proved to be even better than they were in 2004 at this point. From the beginning of January to the end of June, Ford has sold over 450,000 trucks which they say is a 4.2% gain over 2004’s first half numbers. That astronomical figure equates to one F-Series sold every 35 seconds.
The report explains that this trend is very much expected to continue as 52% of F-Series sales typically occur within the last half of the year. If they’re already ahead by this much and still have 52% to go, we could see as many as 941,000 or more sold by the end of the year. All this despite the fact that both Chevrolet and Dodge just dramatically redesigned their trucks and Ford had to shut down production for a week due to the supplier fire would be a remarkable achievement.
[Source: Automotive News via Autoweek]

Ford Will Re-open GT Applications

According to a report from MotorAuthority, Ford will be re-opening its Ferrari-esque application program for their hand-built GT supercar. Of the some 6,000 that applied previously, 500 were picked for the first batch of 2016-2017 cars and then 250 were picked after production was expanded by two years. With 1,000 units confirmed for production, there are still some 250 cars still up for grabs.
So if you’re like other Hooniverse readers and don’t mind a bit of paperwork for the chance that you’ll be given the privilege of buying a $450,000 Ford GT, the report claims the application process will be open again in the fourth quarter of this year. Based on what we’ve learned so far throughout the GT’s lifespan, it helps if you’re a celebrity, collector, or racing driver affiliated with Ford, but I hear being a YouTube “influencer” is a plus.
[Source: MotorAuthority]

What’s your automotive news?

That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Have a good weekend.
[Image © 2018 Hooniverse/Greg Kachadurian]