The Dodge You Forgot: The 105-Horsepower “Challenger” with a Mitsubishi Badge The second-generation Dodge Challenger, a model that bears the name of a legendary American muscle car but lacks its essence, is a fascinating relic of automotive history. Unlike its iconic predecessors and successors, this version was not a muscle car at all. Instead, it was a rebranded Japanese import, built on the Mitsubishi Galant platform and sold under the Dodge name in the United States. Produced between 1978 and 1983, this model represents a rare instance where a famous car name was used to market a vehicle with little connection to the performance-driven legacy of the Challenger brand. When Dodge revived the Challenger name in 1978, four years after the original model’s production ended, it abandoned the muscle car formula entirely. The result was a significantly less powerful and less exciting coupe, designed to appeal to a different market. The car was essentially a Mitsubishi Galant sold under the Dodge brand, with only the badges and some minor styling changes distinguishing it from its Japanese counterpart. While the original Challenger and its 2000s-era successor were celebrated for their high horsepower and aggressive performance, this second-generation model was a far cry from those benchmarks. Most of these cars were equipped with a 2.6-liter four-cylinder engine, producing a modest 105 horsepower, and some even had a smaller 1.6-liter version with just 77 horsepower. The decision to rebrand the Mitsubishi Galant as the Dodge Challenger was driven by economic and strategic considerations. In the late 1970s, the U.S. automotive industry faced challenges such as rising fuel costs, stricter emissions regulations, and shifting consumer preferences toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.#dodge #dodge_challenger #mitsubishi_galant #raleigh_classic_car_auctions #zebulon_north_carolina
