Dodge Challenger Shakedown Is the First of the Last
Six more unique Last Call special editions are slated to debut between now and SEMA in November.
When Dodge introduced the final year of the Charger and Challenger, the automaker promised seven unique special-edition models would debut over the coming months. Now, it's time to check out the first cat in the litter, and while it's not necessarily new, that doesn't make it any less cool.
Dodge on Thursday unveiled the Challenger Shakedown, the first of the Last Call special-edition models for the 2023 model year. Only 1,000 Shakedowns will be built -- 500 narrow-body models will be painted in Destroyer Grey, while the remaining 500 will be widebody variants with Pitch Black paint. All of them will be based on the R/T Scat Pack, which uses a 6.4-liter V8 producing 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque, and as the name suggests, they'll be equipped with that sweet Shaker hood scoop.
The primary standout feature of the Shakedown is the asymmetrical stripe graphic that runs from front to back, along the driver's side of the hood scoop. The model also gets red "392" fender badges that denote the engine's displacement in cubic centimeters, along with a blacked-out Challenger badge, 20-inch black wheels and red Brembo brakes. The interior gets black Nappa leather seats with Alcantara suede accents, red contrast stitching, red seatbelts and a Shakedown badge on the instrument panel.
If some of this seems familiar, it should. Not only is this model based on the Shakedown concept from the 2016 SEMA trade show, but Dodge also rolled out a nearly similar package to this in 2018.
Dodge has not yet divulged pricing, but vehicle ordering should open in the fall. The automaker is doing allocation differently for the Challenger's final year, throwing the entire year's worth of vehicles up on its Dodge Garage website, allowing buyers to pick through the whole country's allocations to find the perfect spec.