Starting with a 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack ($40,490) and its 392-cubic-inch 485-hp/475-lb-ft V-8, ticking the $3,995 box nets long list of go-fast features intended to make this version of the 2019 Challenger a reliable, consistent, and relatively low-cost quarter-miler for the enthusiast to race regularly. Topmost, the package includes: a robust ZF eight-speed automatic transmission (replacing the Tremec six-speed manual); an asymmetric limited-slip differential with a 3.09:1 ring gear; extreme-duty 41-spline rear-axle halfshafts (adopted from the 808-hp Challenger SRT Demon); 9.5 x 20-inch forged-aluminum wheels with knurled bead seats to minimize wheel rotation within the stationary rear tires; and street-legal 275/40R20 Nexen SUR4G drag-radial tires developed for the 1320. And to promote the best, most consistent launches, the package also adds: adaptive dampers with Drag mode (allowing more rear weight transfer); front-brake line lock for easy burnouts; a Torque Reserve system, which Dodge describes as "managing fuel flow to cylinders and controlling spark advance or retard to balance engine rpm and torque to maximize power delivery and launch performance"; and (also from the SRT Demon) a "TransBrake," which locks the transmission's output shaft to hold the car stationary with the engine revving before a standing start. The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 also comes with a pass-through headlamp cold-air intake and an 8.4-inch UConnect touchscreen (minus navigation) that enables the driver to engage all the drag-racing paraphernalia. What the 1320 package does not include are front passenger/rear seats and seatbelts, scavenging about 114 pounds. Those may be returned to the car for $1.00 each.To use the drag-related features, you have to access the Drag mode within the touchscreen's Performance pages. You'll also need a fair amount of two-footed, two-handed coordination and some practice. First line lock: With the transmission in drive and pressing the brake pedal with your left foot, tap the line lock icon on the screen. With your right foot, raise the engine speed to at least 1,000 rpm and keep it there. Press the OK steering wheel button with your left thumb and release the brake pedal (now only the front brakes are clamping the discs). Raise the rpm as needed to get the rear wheels spinning—about 4,000 rpm does a good job—and once satisfied with the amount of liquefied/vaporized rubber and tire heat, release the OK button and gradually pedal out.
The TransBrake is trickier still: Again, in drive with your left foot on the brake, pull both shift paddles, obey the instrument panel telling you to raise engine speed with your right foot until it's satisfied (about 1,800 to 2,000 rpm is good), maintain that rpm, release the brake pedal, release one paddle (now the transmission's output shaft is locked and the car remains stationary), then release the other paddle to launch, and roll into the throttle and "pedal it" to modulate wheelspin, if any. The rest is up to you. Do it right on a prepped drag strip, and Dodge claims the 1320 will run an 11.7-second 115-mph quarter mile—a 0.3-second improvement over a Challenger R/T Scat Pack without the optional equipment. At last year's World's Greatest Drag Race 8, on a bone-dry concrete runway, we managed a 12.1-second 115-mph pass in a prototype 1320 without an operable TransBrake, so Dodge's claim sounds right.
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