The action-packed Fast Five movie will make its theater debut in just a few weeks and RLD wants to take you for an exclusive behind-the-scenes thrill ride. You’ll get to see an insider look as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker tear up the streets of Rio de Janeiro in their HEMI®-powered Chargers, including the two specially prepared matte black Chargers for the movie’s climax scene. Check out the video to get a firsthand look at the full lineup of stunt vehicles and how the film makers captured all the adrenaline-filled, nail-biting action.
Now that we have your attention, head over to www.Dodge.com/FastFive to get all the behind the scenes action, learn more about the movie and cars and check out the 2011 Dodge Charger. As if that was not enough to get your heart pounding, the site also features an exclusive sweepstakes to win one of five custom Fast Five Edition 2011 Charger R/Ts that we will feature right here on RLD. Good luck and don’t forget to catch the movie in theaters nationally April 29th.
2011 Spring Festival of LX’s held in Irvine, California was the event that the first glimpse of Fatchance 2.0 was revealed. The first 2011 Chrysler 300C to be customized by car designer, John Fortuno.
The California sun has set on the sixth annual LX Spring Festival. Once again, great memories with old acquaintances were rekindled while forging new friendships within the Dodge community. This year’s event smashed all previous participant attendance records as over 830 LX owners from all over the USA, Canada and even Europe came to share the love of their Challengers, Chargers, Magnums and 300s. Our president and CEO (and #1 LX fan) Ralph Gilles, was in attendance and shared his passion for these great vehicles as he walked among the masses. He even had the opportunity to sign a few Challengers and Chargers much to the delight of their owners. Our designers and SRT engineering gear heads held round table discussions with owners to exchange valuable feedback and discuss future product concepts. Our fans also got a taste of hot burning rubber in their faces as our own Samuel Hubinette wowed us with a drifting choreography that included billowing clouds of tire smoke to the sounds of a high-winding 7,000 RPM Mopar small-block. Sam wasn’t the only one tearing up the runways at the former Marine Naval Air Station. For $20 a run, participants had a chance to race against the clock and test their driving skills behind the wheel of a 2011 Charger R/T on the ‘Challenge Course’ (both Ralph and Sam laid down some smoking lap times!). There was no shortage of competition among those looking for a shot at beating those numbers and the best part was all proceeds went towards charity. The sponsor, midway, was filled with the latest go-fast and styling goodies from a wide variety of manufacturers. We also had our latest hardware for all to see, like the stunning 2012 Charger SRT8 and 2011 Challenger R/T “Green with Envy”. We also got to see event organizer and LX patriarch, John Fortuno unveil his 2011 Chrysler 300C “Fat Chance 2.0”
We love seeing designers speak with passion, and it’s a bit startling, though satisfying, to see when the designer in question works for a large corporation but has not had that passion beaten out of him. If anything, it’s quite the opposite in the case of Ralph Gilles.
Something appears to be going very right over at Dodge, where CEO Gilles is both an industrial designer and relatively young at just 40 years of age. As Gilles describes himself in an interview with Forbes,
I don’t see myself as the classic car designer that’s all about style. I’m always thinking about the business case, the big picture implications of whatever we’re working on, the engineering challenges. A true industrial designer is more of a problem solver. A true artist tends to make a singular piece that stands almost in a museum by itself, whereas an industrial designer is designing a solution for millions of people.
Anyways, back to the passion—check out this vid of Gilles speaking the design gospel at the Los Angeles Auto Show after the jump:
Jay’s at it again. He and our President Ralph Gilles are on the streets of Los Angeles cruising around and making some sweet noise. Last month, he “dumped the clutch” on our 2011 Challenger SRT8 392 and tattooed his neighborhood with an awesome burnout all while grinning from ear-to-ear. Therefore, we had to stop by his garage again with our 2011 Charger R/T to have him get behind the wheel and lay down more rubber. Jay dug the 370 horsepower 5.7L HEMI® along with the new sheet metal that is very reminiscent to 1968-70 B-Body models. He also noticed our re-engineered chassis and track tuned suspension when bending some corners. Jay’s senses also registered the numerous interior refinements we’ve made to the Charger. Even though Jay has amassed quite the collection a rare and vintage Dodge muscle cars, he’s not afraid to flog them when the opportunity arises (which is quite frequently). Jay is one of us, a true ‘car guy’ with high octane fuel running through his veins. However, it was our own ‘car guy’ – Ralph Gilles that showed him the proper way to do a burnout!
Last month our president and CEO Ralph Gilles stopped by Jay Leno’s Garage with our latest weapon from the Dodge war chest – Challenger SRT8 392! While Jay may have been lukewarm with the “Green with Envy”, color (it’s an acquired taste you know), he was awestruck with tire scorching performance of the 470 horsepower 392 HEMI®. Jay also dug the refinements we made in the suspension and handling department along with the subtle interior improvements. Enough of our chit chat, we’ll let the video of Jay and Ralph tooling around the streets of Los Angeles laying down a smoky burnout, tell it like it is!
With the Northeast getting hammered by the relentless ‘Snowpocalypse’, our friends at the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA), awarded the 2011 Dodge Charger R/T AWD with their coveted Winter Vehicle Award in the $25,000 to $35,000 sedan/wagon price class. This group of automotive journalist’s covers a large section of the country – mainly all six New England states that contain one of the largest populations in the United States. Therefore, when these guys test new vehicles, they look well beyond the usual 0-60 and quarter mile times to gauge the cars performance. These writers evaluate the vehicle in everyday “real world” conditions that includes the harsh, brutal and sometimes treacherous winter driving conditions that are prevalent in their region of the country. “Dodge Charger is a great looking car with a high-quality interior,” said John Paul, Winter Vehicle Awards Team Leader — NEMPA. “Add in its dedicated all-wheel-drive system, and the Charger feels like it was designed just for New England winters. Oh and by the way, it has a Hemi!”
The ultra cool Charger AWD system features a unique active transfer case and front axle disconnect system which allows seamless engagement between rear-wheel drive to AWD. Therefore when a ‘Nor’easter’ comes out of nowhere, the system will automatically engage to the changing weather and road conditions. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about what mother nature throws at you. On dry pavement, the system automatically disconnects the front axle to increase fuel economy. Think of this as having your cake and eating it too.
“When designing the all-new Dodge Charger R/T AWD, the team pushed the fastback sedan’s capabilities further, delivering a highly capable and precise all-season performance street weapon that thrives in any ‘Snowpocolypse,” said our President and CEO Ralph Gilles. “With its state-of-the-art AWD system combined with a new world-class chassis, best-in-class horsepower, the all-new Dodge Charger R/T AWD is designed to deliver performance and grip even during one of the harshest of winters this country has seen in years.”
Now if that darn ground hog had only seen his shadow, we could have had six more weeks of fun winter driving in our Charger R/T AWD!
Posted on: February 10, 2011 – 3:15 pm by Denny Darnell
Robby Gordon announced today that he will be driving a Dodge Charger during the 2011 season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In response to the partnership with Robby Gordon Motorsports, Dodge President & CEO Ralph Gilles issued the following statement:
“We’re excited Robby will be joining the Dodge Motorsports program in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2011. We like the competitive flair and skill he brings to the track. Robby’s driving style mirrors the performance attitude of the rejuvenated Dodge brand, so he’s a welcome addition to our team.
“We believe you don’t need a certain number of cars to be successful in racing. The key is having the right combination of teams, drivers and technology. We already have a strong foundation with Penske Racing and the Dodge engineering team can easily support another Sprint Cup Series team. Our technical support will be a valuable asset for Robby Gordon Motorsports.”
Robby Gordon (No. 7 SPEED Energy Dodge Charger) issued the following statement:
“I’m excited to be associated with a manufacturer again. I like the things that Dodge has been doing to build brand awareness. They have an impressive factory and facility, and their product line is top notch. I’ve really enjoyed putting this deal together with Ralph Gilles and Bryan Viger; they are a fun, youthful, forward-thinking group. I’ve worked with Dodge in the past and have always had a great relationship with Dodge corporate.”
* Today we held our press conference at the Chicago Auto Show, please check back later for the on demand video.
The 2011 Chicago Auto Show is right around the corner, and we plan on sharing all of the great news we have lined for the event with all of you. We’re holding a press conference on Wednesday, February 9th at 12:15 p.m. eastern time Eastern, and if you want to be a part of the action, all you have to do is join us here at that time. You’ll get to see exactly what we have lined up for the Windy City before the doors even open to the public even if you can’t make your way to Illinois this year. We’ll see you there!