The Dodge Challenger has proved to be a popular muscle car since its modern revival, with the ferocious Hellcat and Demon models topping the range. Meanwhile, one company imagined an alternate universe where instead of supercharged V8s, the Challenger got the V10 heart of a Dodge Viper, and made it a reality. Now, that car could be yours.
As reported by Engine Swap Depot, the car in question started out life as a humble V6 model. Fitted with the 3.6-liter Pentastar engine, it boasted just 300 horsepower in stock trim. Once in the hands of Prefix Corporation, though, the rental-grade powertrain was ripped out, to be replaced with the 8.4-liter V10 from the fourth-generation Dodge Viper. The mighty powerplant boasts 600 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque.
Obviously, the original V6 driveline wasn’t built for such fury, and thus it was turfed out expeditiously. Instead, the V10 is paired with a Tremec six-speed manual and a 3.92 ratio differential out of a 2014 Challenger SRT-8. The car rides on SRT-style 20-inch wheels with Fullway HP108 tires on all four corners.
The handling likely isn’t as light and free as stock, by sheer virtue of the engine swap. The Viper V10 isn’t the lightest donk. It weighs in at approximately 650 pounds, a fair chunk more than the Pentastar V6 which comes in under 400 pounds in most trims. However, the Viper unit is still lighter than a Hellcat V8, which weighs around 875 pounds.
Prefix addressed the necessary supporting mods, too. The Challenger is outfitted with adjustable coilovers, which is a given since the heavier engine would likely have necessitated a spring swap anyway. Meanwhile, there’s also a Wilwood big brake kit with bright red calipers to help haul it to a stop.
The car also features an amusing rear wing and ACR decals on the front fenders, recalling the finest high-performance examples of the much-beloved Viper. Note that the interior appears largely untouched, so you’re getting what you’d get in a basic V6 Challenger.
The car is now up for sale on Bring a Trailer, bearing an accident-free Carfax report and a clean Michigan title. Hilariously, it notes that the car was once used as a rental, a job rather befitting a V6 Challenger. However, it’s an altogether different beast today. It shows 7,000 miles on the odometer, though the car’s true total mileage is unclear. It’s likely somewhere in the mid-200s range, given it stood at 192,000 miles in 2022 according to Carfax.
At the time of writing, the current bid stands at just over $22,000. Expect that to trend higher as the auction draws to a close on Saturday. If you’re looking for a totally unique Challenger with a cool story and as many cylinders as you have fingers, this might be the car for you.
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