After spending all day today and part of yesterday with the Mopar Drift Dodge Charger. I felt it was appropriate to revisit with the chargers for all that had missed it the first time we had it up on the front page or just wanna get a 2nd look at the beast I got to learn the inside and outside of while being at the DUB Car Show representing for Fromula Drift.
Street and Drift Chargers
As featured in the December 2006 issue of PAS Magazine
Photos and Story by: Jacob Leveton
Sam Hubinette has been dominant in Formula D, driving 2 different MOPAR vipers to series championships. However, with Mopar’s re-introduction of the Charger, the powers that be decided that Sam should probably jump into this elongated, heavy chassis and make it into a drift car. While the battle to make this bloated detroit muscle has been long, the car is now ready for battle.
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Under the hood, the stock motor was replaced with a 392 cubic inch crate motor based on the 6.1L Hemi V8, and worked to over 600hp and 550 lb-ft of torque. The car runs off of 104 octane race fuel, and has the notable Hemi purr to it. A 6-speed transmission was mated to the engine and a quaife differential keeps both wheels spinning at the same time. This car will have just as much power as Sam’s previous 2 Dodge Vipers, but will have a longer wheelbase and heavier chassis. It will be interesting to see how the car will compete against other top Formula D competitors.
But wait, that’s not all! Sam decided that the chassis was so exciting, he stepped out of his E46 M3 and purchased a black Charger fresh off of a local dealer lot in early 2006, and has been building up a mild street version of his new race car. Of course, why leave a beautiful car like this stock? Hubinette worked with GS Motorsports to upgrade the car with a procharger supercharger and intercooler to bring the horsepower over the 550hp mark. BASH performance provided carbon fiber replacements for the hood and fuel lid, and carbon fiber trim pieces for the radiator support and door sills. Kicker, who has sponsored Sam’s Formula D Viper for the past few years, replaced all the speakers in the car with upgraded units, and placed a 10-inch L7 solobaric subwoofer in the trunk along with 2 amps to power everything. At the corners, Eibach coilovers lower the car over 22″ CEC rims and BFGoodrich tires, while Brembo Brakes bring the car to a halt at the stop lights.
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Both of Sam’s chargers have been designed to raise the bar and turn heads. Sam’s drift car will be the longest car in Formula D competition in 2007, while his street car will be tearing around in the pits and on the streets of Southern California. Stay tuned to see if Sam can win back-to-back championships and his third in four seasons in 2007.
