A Detailed Look at the Production-Friendly Dodge Challenger T/A Concept

The Dodge Challenger T/A Concept will make its grand debut at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next month, but we got a chance to check it out a bit early at the Chrysler Headquarters which means that you won’t have to wait until SEMA to find out what makes this Challenger Concept unique from the rest of the 2015 models.

The Dodge Challenger T/A was originally introduced for the 1970 model year, and while it was a street legal package – it was designed for stock class road racing against the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro. This new SEMA-bound Challenger T/A Concept draws inspiration from the 1970 Challenger T/A and thanks to the fact that the vast majority of the added components are borrowed from other production vehicles – this is a package that could very easily become a production reality.

The 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept is Stunning
When looking at the 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept, it is very easy to see that it is designed after the original 1970 Challenger T/A. The original Challenger T/A had a matte black hood, matte black stripes with the T/A logo prominently displayed on the front fenders, a matte black chin spoiler, a matte black Gurney style rear spoiler and side exit exhaust. Also, the 1970 Challenger T/A was powered exclusively by the 340 cubic inch V8 with a six pack carb setup; which was the midlevel performance engine in the Challenger lineup. All of these features have been included in the 2015 Challenger T/A Concept and having been based on the 2015 R/T Scat Pack, this beast is powered by the 6.4L Hemi V8 with 485 horsepower and 475lb0-ft of torque.

Up front, the Challenger T/A Concept wears a matte black chin spoiler that wraps around the front end of the car and a matte black hood that is borrowed from the 2015 Challenger SRT 392. There is also a set of Mopar hood pins and the air intake headlight from the Challenger Hellcat has been added, but on both sides of the T/A Concept where the Hellcat only has the open center headlight on the driver’s side.

Along the sides, the Challenger T/A Concept wears a set of stripes that are straight out of 1970, and they fit the body lines of the 2015 Challenger perfectly. A set of matte black SRT style 20 inch wheels are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R high performance tires and below the matte black painted rocker sills protrudes a side exit exhaust tip on each side. With a button on the dash, the driver of the Challenger T/A Concept can redirect the exhaust flow from the normal rear exhaust tips to the side tips, which skip the rear muffler system to add a whole lot of extra grumble.

Out back, the Challenger T/A Concept wears a very similar spoiler to what was found on the 1970 Challenger T/A and the lower fascia area is painted matte black to fit with the rest of the lower trim on this mean looking concept muscle car.

The Challenger T/A Cockpit
On the inside, the 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept has been lightened up a bit for improved performance, including a set of Dodge Viper seats on unique aluminum tracks and the full removal of the rear seat assembly. A nice, clean looking aluminum panel system has been added to fill the gap of the rear seat while a rear harness bar allows for proper fastening of the race approved restraint system. A Mopar pistol grip shifter has been fitted to the 6-speed manual transmission while a leather wrapped flat bottom steering wheel adds more performance feel.

The Challenger T/A Concept Induction System
While the 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept is a gorgeous show car inside and out, the most interesting feature is the new Mopar cold air intake system. The SRT hood has an air inlet at the front, but simply hooking that opening up to the throttle body of the 392 Hemi would draw in all sorts of dirt, debris and other unwanted substances into the engine.

To fix that problem, Mopar used the underhood workings of their awesome new Shaker hood scoop setup. After designing a “hat” that would fit against the bottom of the hood, the Mopar team added this new top portion to the production Shaker setup, allowing the T/A to have a fully functional air intake setup on the hood.

Could the Challenger T/A Concept See Production?
The 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept is a gorgeous muscle car. I’m in love with this Challenger and I know that many of the people with whom I’ve spoken about this muscular concept feel the same way that I do. Such a great looking muscle car concept has quickly gotten people wanting to know if this car will see production and in the exact same form that I saw at the Chrysler HQ, I do not think that it will become a production car.

2015 Challenger Galleries:
The 2015 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack in Sublime
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in TorRed
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in Sublime

However, that is only because of the rear seat delete and the rear harness bar in the 2015 Dodge Challenger T/A Concept. Unless it is marketed as a pure race car, I just don’t think that Dodge will sell a Challenger with a factory rear seat delete and the harness bar. However, I fully expect to see the air intake system for the SRT hood, the chin spoiler, the rear spoiler and the exhaust system in the Mopar Accessories catalog in the near future so those 2015 Challenger Scat Pack owners who want to have a new Challenger T/A, they will be able to build it themselves.

At the same time, this car looks so production ready (shy of the interior features) and the package features are really so simple that I could see the Challenger T/A – maybe even if only in limited numbers. Since it is comprised mostly of components that the Dodge brand already has in their arsenal like the hood, the headlights, the wheels and the exhaust system, there wouldn’t be a tremendous amount of development involved to make a production version of this wicked concept. Really, I think that it is only a rear seat away from being perfect for dealerships around the country.

Click here for a closer look at the 2016 Challenger T/A Concept.