New Rochelle car builder, Proformance Industries, has had a few visits recently from the Sandman, but nobody was falling asleep. If anything, owner George Gjokaj and his people have been staying up late to finish a Dodge Challenger SRT8 for New York Yankees’ relief pitcher, Mariano Rivera.
The 16-year Yankees veteran is now riding in style. His Challenger has been worked over from front to back and the results are worthy of a pennant. “We started off modifying the suspension with sway bars & springs from Hotchkis, complimented with re-valved Bilsteins. The factory Brembo’s provide plenty of stopping power; we powder coated them in silver with our name stenciled in black,” explained Gjokaj.
Completing the championship stance, the Challenger rides on custom ProForged PF/s5 wheels with highly polished lips and faces, and black accents on the pockets of the faces.
Going beyond, the car’s interior was restyled in Alcantara leather. The guys also added a custom “Sandman” dash emblem, highlighting their ‘no stone unturned’ approach to custom appointments. Adding a novel ‘wide body’ look to the Challenger, the quarter panels and rockers were reworked, creating a masterful look. Again, custom badges were designed for Rivera, but the tale to tell is up front.
Under a classic shaker hood, you’ll find a Vortech V-3 Si-Trim supercharger fitted with an air-to-water charge cooler. Now with 560 HP and 510 ft-lb of torque, complimented by a Mopar aftermarket exhaust system and custom dyno tuning, you can be sure the All-Star MLB reliever won’t be left behind, wherever he goes.