Dodge Challenger Srt10 Viper Powered

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At a time when fuel economy is of the utmost importance and Chrysler is looking for love like an ugly girl at last call, we have to ask if a Tornado Red Dodge Challenger with pimped wheels and a 600-horsepower V10 is the smartest thing Dodge could bring the SEMA show this year. Of course it isn't, but we don't care. This car is totally bitchin', and we want one.

Sure, rampant irresponsibility can get you into some short-term trouble, but a thoroughly responsible life is a life not worth living. Flagrant violation of the motor vehicle code in an SRT10 is like skydiving, dating a hot coworker or doing a Power Hour of High Life: Mom wouldn't approve, but your friends sure would.

More pictures after the jump. Let us know what you think — we imagine the comments will be a mix of wondering if we've lost our mind or finally grown a pair.

To build the Challenger SRT10, Chrysler took a Viper engine out of the want ads long enough to stuff it under a carbon-fiber hood that looks like it was installed by Mr. Findlay's 9th grade shop class. With both Chrysler and Viper wearing "for sale" signs, we wonder if a monster like the SRT10 could make it further than the convention floor in Vegas. The base Challenger weighs almost 700 pounds more than the Viper, so even with carbon-fiber gee-gaws we'll bet the Challenger SRT10's fuel economy might break into double digits.

There's no two ways about it — the SRT10 is vulgar, it's loud, and it's a perfect metaphor for the mess Chrysler finds itself in these days. But it's no Mopar faux pas. There's a lot less wrong with a weekend warrior tinkering with his American-made muscle car than a commuter wasting time behind the wheel of a gas-guzzling daily driver.

The Challenger SRT10 is a rumbling burnout machine that stands in stark contrast to the trio of electric cars Chrysler unveiled last month, and that's totally okay. In fact, we'd park one in the Autopia garage. Right next to a Dodge eV.

Post updated 9:50 a.m. PST to fix photos.

Photos courtesy Chrysler

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