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The crew over at Hotchkis Sport Suspension is no stranger to the autocross scene and it shows in their amazing products and even more amazing project cars. However, it takes experience with a Hotchkis-equipped vehicle to really know the difference Hotchkis products can make, especially on old school muscle cars. So what better way to show off exactly what the company is known for than to hand Hotchkis’ very own E-Max Challenger off to an automotive journalist to drive for a couple days? Lucky for Hooniverse writer, Jeff Glucker, he was just that fortunate.
Glucker was looking for a car to drive to the L.A. Auto Show earlier this month when he was given the opportunity to experience the dream of many automotive enthusiasts, the opportunity to drive the Hotchkis E-Max Challenger.
We’re not talking just a test drive either. Glucker and his lucky self was handed the keys to the Challenger for four days of all-out driving fun. We’re jealous.
As a Trans Am clone, E-Max demands attention everywhere it goes, as Glucker found out. With its classic yellow and black paint job, E-Max turns heads but has the power under the hood and handling capabilities to keep all eyes on it long after the initial awe factor.
Put a 340cui Six-Pack V8 with a Moroso oil pan and Be Cool aluminum radiator like E-Max sports into any old school Mopar, and you’ll have plenty of power to get your heart fluttering. Unfortunately, that kind of power can mean a muscle car once “drivable” rather than enjoyable on the streets can become too much to handle.
Hotchkis knows how to address this however, and equipped their E-Max Challenger with their full E-body suspension kit, complete with geometry-corrected A arms, sport springs, adjustable steering and strut rods, front and rear sway bars, and subframe connectors. E-Max also received increased handling capabilities thanks to prototype Hotchkis-AFCO adjustable shocks, 18-inch Forgeline Wheels and Falkin tires. Are you drooling yet?
To harness the power of E-Max, Hotchkis equipped the Challenger with a Tremec 5-speed manual transmission to push the power to the pavement and Stoptech brakes to stop the brute force behind E-Max at the drop of a dime.
While the Challenger may sound a bit overwhelming, Glucker found comfort in the Sparco race seat and four-point harness that kept him in place no matter how much the car moved, and move it did. With a small Grant steering wheel connecting him to the capabilities of the muscle car, Glucker found E-Max’s offerings to be far superior to even vehicles in the supercar market.
Check out Glucker’s return drive of the E-Max Challenger in the video below. No wonder Glucker found the Hotchkis E-Max Challenger to be the embodiment of everything a car should be.
