There are few fates sadder for a race car than to be built, tuned…and then left to sit in some dudes garage; at best as a trophy, at worst as a shelf for his other projects and overflow. For whatever reason, some people get 99% of the way towards racing a genuine race car…and then give up, the car never seeing the track, not even from the back of a trailer.
That’s supposedly what happened with this Grand Am-spec 2011 Dodge Challenger, eBay item number 321322759509, which is all ready to race. All it lacks is a driver. Can you help this Challenger fulfill its purpose in life?
Based on a 2011 Challenger body-in-white, this car has been specced to 2012 regulations…which means it’s about two seasons out of date. Also, the Grand Am series folded into the American Le Mans Series to become the Tudor United SportsCar Championship. So there’s that too.
But for the nearly $90,000 asking price, you get a 6.1 liter HEMI V8 topped with HEMI 6.4 liter heads, an upgraded ECU, and a closer-ration six-speed manual transmission. The usually-beefy Challenger has been lightened thanks to extensive carbon fiber use on the hood fenders, doors, trunk lid, and nose.
This is as clean a slate as you’re going to find for starting a racing career of your own, and this Challenger deserves to fulfill its lifelong ambitions as well. Would you buy it to race it, or would it be your garage trophy?