Dodge boys forecast 4150 pounds, which is just 62 pounds lighter than the 300C. With the same 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 (425 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque), the same five-speed automatic, and the same final drive, and the same tires, drag strip numbers figure to be pretty much the same, too. Still, you might wonder why the smaller coupe—at 197.7 inches it’s 2.5 inches shorter than a Charger and almost an inch lower—is nearly as heavy as the sedan. Eric Heuschele, manager of vehicle development at Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) skunkworks, says there’s no mystery. “For one thing, side-impact standards keep getting tougher all the time, and we had to compensate for losing that beefy Charger B-pillar,†says Heuschele. “But the real answer is that when you chop the wheelbase on a Charger you still have a Charger.†– Car and Driver
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