2023 Dodge Challenger, colour choices, fig. 1
• For 2023, Dodge is paying homage to the past with the availability of a wrap showing the 14 colours offered in 2023.
• In 1970, Plymouth advertised a Barracuda decorated with the 25 colours offered at the time.
• The films can be ordered and installed on all Challengers produced since 2008, including the Widebody models.
In 1970, Plymouth wanted to show the 25 colours that were offered with its Barracuda model, and had the idea of making an ad showing a car decorated with 25 stripes representing the colours available with the model. That quickly became known as the Paint Chip Car.
Now Dodge is taking direct inspiration from that bit of marketing genius by Plymouth 52 years ago. This past August, it showed off a Challenger wrapped in the 14 colours offered with the model for 2023.
The reaction from fans was very strong and so Dodge is going to offer, for a limited time, a wrap featuring the 14 colours available for the 2023 Challenger. What’s more, the wrap will be available for all models produced since 2008, the year of the Challenger's comeback. That includes the Widebody versions.
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2023 Dodge Challenger, colour choices, fig. 2
And what are the 14 colours? Their original names are as follows: Plum Crazy, Frostbite, B5 Blue, Sublime, F8 Green, Go Mango, Sinamon Stick, Octane Red, TorRed, Triple Nickel, Destroyer Grey, Granite, Pitch Black and White Knuckle.
Those interested can visit the Dodge Garage website [www.dodgegarage.com] to sign up to buy a wrap. The wrap is produced by CG Detroit and costs $3,700 USD, before installation. Dodge says the wrap “requires professional installation” by a 3M-certified installer.
Of course, we know that the Challenger will be in its final year in 2023. The model has outlived its usefulness, that's a given, but it's clear that Dodge won't let its coupe go without a celebration.
When I was a kid, I'd sometimes fill my soda cup with a little splash of everything. I called it a Suicide, though I know it has different names in other parts of the country. It didn't taste very good, but that never stopped me, because seven-year-old me loved sugar and had no sense of taste. If I hadn't outgrown that phase, I'd have been delighted to hear that Stellantis is doing something similar by offering a limited-time vinyl wrap for the Dodge Challenger featuring every single color from its 2023 palette. Every. Single. One.
Announced through Dodge Garage [basically an official Dodge blog and merchandise outlet], the Hi-Impact Colors wrap for the Challenger encompasses the full spectrum of colors that'll be available on the 2023 Dodge Challenger—the last year for the venerable muscle car. They number 14 in total and include everything from White Knuckle to Pitch Black, from F8 Green to Plum Crazy. The price, as you'd imagine, isn't cheap: $3,700 plus installation, which Dodge Garage says can be arranged at certified 3M installers.
Dodge Challenger "Hi-Impact Color" wrap. Dodge GarageVisually, the wrap calls to mind VW's Harlequin Golf and Polo, which used mixed body panel colors, and are remembered today as cult classics. For a multitude of reasons, though, it's hard to see these Challengers going down the same way. For one, this is a wrap: In no world will it last as long as a real paint job, no matter how well cared-for, so it's never going to become a collectors' item. It's also just not good-looking, being a lazy sequence of stripes with no attention paid to complementary colors. I guarantee you any given street artist could've come up with a more exciting design.
Last but not least, I'm not sure how Challenger buyers and fans—also known as the "Brotherhood of Muscle"—would take to a rainbow-wrapped car. The only thing more out-of-touch with its customer base that Dodge could have offered is a four-cylinder Challenger—though, with the Charger Daytona EV on the way, there's no chance of that happening. But the biggest question is if buyers will keep those yellow splitter guards on their rainbow cars. I think it'd be a good look, personally.
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The Dodge Charger and Challenger have withstood the test of time, and helped to usher in the “second golden age of the muscle car.”
However, time is running out on the current models as an electric successor will be previewed later this week. We’ll have more on that later, but Dodge is planning to send the 2023 models off with a handful of special touches.
Most notably, the company is bringing back three heritage colors including B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple, and Sublime green. Destroyer Grey is also making a return and this means the 2023 Charger and Challenger will each offer a total of 14 paint jobs.
Also Read: Dodge Has A Literal Truckload Of Special Edition Challengers And Chargers For 2023
Additional exterior changes are limited, but R/T models will come equipped with new “345” badging. That’s a reference to their 5.7-liter V8 engine, which displaces 345 cubic inches, and presumably develops up to 375 hp [280 kW / 380 PS] and 410 lb-ft [555 Nm] of torque.
Elsewhere, the 2023 Charger and Challenger will be equipped with a commemorative “Last Call” plaque that signifies their final year of production. It’s made of brushed aluminum and features the vehicle name and silhouette as well as messages saying “Designed in Auburn Hills” and “Assembled in Brampton.”
Last but not least, Dodge is expanding Jailbreak availability to the Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat. This promises to unlock “ordering restrictions and exclusive content” to provide “even more owners the option of building their own one-of-a-kind muscle car.”
To ensure customers can get one of the final ICE-powered Chargers and Challengers, Dodge will increase transparency by allocating the entire 2023 model-year run at once and listing availability at DodgeGarage.com. That way, customers looking for a specific model will know exactly where to get one.
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