Exclusive! HEMI Charger Returns In A Retro Body!

You’ve been begging for it since the LX Chargers went out of production and here it is. We at StreetMuscleMag.com have the exclusive on the new Dodge Charger HEMI, all packaged in a retro body that pays homage to the historic Chargers of old.

In a move that is surprising to some, Dodge is resurrecting the Charger 2.2 three-door body style from the 1980s, not to mention that’s car’s overachiever four-cylinder powerplant. 

“We gave customers a choice between two and four doors and gasoline and electric propulsion, but they rejected them all, so we figured we’d go all in on the retro thing,” said Marv Finazee, the new Dodge Brand Manager. ”We’re calling the 2.2 a HEMI, even though it is not, you know, a HEMI. Let’s be honest: The Gen-III HEMIs don’t actually have hemispherical combustion chambers and people bought into that, so we’ll call the old 2.2 four-banger a HEMI V-8. We’ll sell the crap out of them.”

Finazee maintains the three-door hatchback is the perfect compromise between a two-door Charger and one with four.

”Fewer doors equals less weight. And with 165 horsepower under the hood, you’ll really feel the performance of this baby,” Finazee opined. “It will be a game changer.

The new 2027 Dodge HEMI Charger is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of that year with a sticker price of $75,000. Yes, it will be front-drive, too, to get that power right to the pavement. 

“It wasn’t easy finding that old tooling for the Charger 2.2.,” reported Finazee. “We had to buy it back from a company in Pakistan that was using it to make farm equipment. That contributed to a higher sticker price, but we know customers will flock to any car with a historic four-spoke Rubbermaid steering wheel.”

The downsizing of the new Charger will come as a welcome change to those who felt the new Charger was too large and heavy. No intercooled turbos or superchargers will be used — at least at first — as they would add unnecessary complexity and cost to the new Charger. 

As for the hoped-for next generation Challenger, Finazee said it is in discussions with Mitsubishi to bring back the Japanese sport coupe from the mid-1970s with the fabulous MCA jet engine. No word if a retro Plymouth Sapporo is in the works. We’ll just have to wait and see how that pans out.

All signs point to a bright future for Stellantis and Dodge.