Chrysler has always had a strange reputation for arriving late to the party, making few friends, and often leaving early. In the case of the Dodge Challenger and its corporate twin, the Plymouth Barracuda, this statement could be called somewhat ironic. The Barracuda, as an entry in the ponycar wars, actually predated the Mustang by a short span of time. But where the Barracuda was a warmed-over Valiant that came standard with an anemic slant six, the Mustang had style and substance going for it and was wildly popular. The Barracuda grew up, of course, and by 1970 had become a force to be reckoned with in the muscle car wars. Also in 1970, the Barracuda gained a stablemate, the Challenger. These cars could be had in potent forms, with large-capacity V8s and even the famous Hemi. The original Challenger was only around until 1974, although it would come back twice. The first reintroduction came in 1978, when the Dodge variant of the Mitsubishi-based Plymouth Sapporo was named Challenger. In 2008, a new retro-styled Challenger was introduced on the 300 platform. And yes, it was available with a Hemi.
