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Dodge has announced a major expansion of its Direct Connection aftermarket parts offering. The new range will offer everything from carbon panels to entire rolling chassis, targeted at enthusiasts and the drag racing market. Kind of like Mopar on steroids, if you will.
Direct Connection is the name of Dodge’s line of factory-backed performance parts. These are typically sold through Dodge’s Power Brokers, a series of dealerships that specialise in the sale and installation of performance upgrades. Through these dealers, owners can get speed parts installed often while maintaining the factory warranty and staying compliant with emissions regulations.
With the new announcement, Dodge is blowing the Direct Connection catalogue wide open. For the drag racing set, the company will now offer the Drag Pak Dodge Challenger rolling chassis. No longer must racers strip back a road car when starting a build. Instead, the rolling chassis comes as an open book, ready to receive a drivetrain of the builder’s choice.
The Drag Pak comes complete with a TIG-welded roll cage, certified by the NHRA for quarter mile times down to 7.50 seconds. It also features a four-link drag-tuned suspension and a 9-inch rear end from Strange Engineering to handle big power.
Dodge will also offer a body-in-white Dodge Challenger chassis for only $7,995, albeit without the rollcage. Still feels like a screaming deal. These will be available in a basic exterior coat, or finished in standard exterior colors for the 2023 model year.
For those looking to shed weight on their builds, Direct Connection will also offer carbon fiber panels for the current-era Challenger. These will be produced by SpeedKore, which is well-known for producing OEM-quality carbon fiber parts and wild 1,000-hp Dodge builds. Available panels include the rear spoiler, front splitter, rocker panels, and rear diffuser.
Dodge isn’t forgetting about fans of the classics, either. Working with Finale Speed, Direct Connection will offer a licensed 1970 Dodge Charger body built in carbon fiber. Engineered to Dodge’s exacting OEM specifications, the bodies can be built into a complete finished vehicle for those with the will and the budget to do so. The Charger body will be joined by recreation Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner bodies down the line.
Outside of the big ticket items, Dodge is also building out its range of basic performance parts. Headers will be available for the Charger, Challenger, and Durango, designed to handle high power outputs from even the beefiest supercharged Hemi V8s. TorqueFlite 8HP70 transmissions will now be available through Direct Connection, too, along with 2.7L and 3.0L supercharger kits as seen on the Hellcat Redeye and Hellephant crate engine respectively.
Overall, the offering shows that Dodge is serious about supporting its vehicles in the aftermarket sense. Fans looking to customize and build hot Dodges need only look to the Direct Connection catalog to find what they need. Whether that’s some simple upgrade parts or an entire chassis for a drag build, Direct Connection has the goods.
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