1978-1983 Dodge Challenger: A Colt of a Different Breed And The Birth of Diamond Star Motors

Everyone knows the tire-shredding first generation of the Dodge Challenger, featured in movies like Vanishing Point. The first generation was an incredible vehicle, with legendary engines like the 383, 426 Wedge, and the 440 Six-Pack.

After 1974, the EPA had it’s hands on the throats of the auto industry, and cars like the Challenger disappeared and became terrible versions of their late 1960s and early 1970s selves.

The Dodge Challenger name came back after Chrysler bought a 15 percent stake in Mitsubishi in exchange for a small car, the Dodge Colt, in the early 1970s. The second-generation would be based on the Galant, Mitsubishi’s larger car. The first of these second generation Challengers debuted for 1978.

These new Challengers followed the same design as the first generation. Pillar-less hardtops, wrapped in a tight and sporty package. The only thing that was missing was a powerful lineup of engines. Instead of the eight possible engines in the first generation, the second generation Challengers had a choice of two engines. Both of these engines are of the Astron family, a cousin of the legendary 4G63. The base engine was a 1.6L naturally-aspirated, four cylinder making a measly 77 horsepower. A 2.6L naturally-aspirated, four cylinder “HEMI” with 105 horsepower was also available.

The 2.6L HEMI was an interesting engine, because of it’s large displacement. Mitsubishi did a lot of research into balance shafts in order to keep the engine running smoothly. Mitsubishi licensed this technology other manufacturers as well, which helped to grow the brand’s image.

In 1983 the Challenger was discontinued as Mitsubishi made it’s way into the North American market with it’s own fresh lineup of vehicles, however because of Chrysler’s stake in the company, nearly 75 percent of their imported vehicles still had to be sold as Dodges, Plymouths, or Chryslers. This paved the way for the successor to the second generation Challenger, the Starion/Conquest.

Two years after their push into the market, Mitsubishi renewed it’s corporate ties to Chrysler and teamed up to build a 1.9 million square foot, a facility responsible for the beginning of Diamond Star Motors.

So what’s left of these second-generation Challengers? Not much. Dodge barely managed to sell 14,000 units per year. Here’s a very interesting example in a very bright orange. This black example was on Bring A Trailer two years ago, which goes to show how rare these vehicles are. That’s about it though, they are an incredibly rare breed of vehicles, from an interesting period in both Chrysler and Mitsubishi’s history.

What do you think of the second generation Challenger? Should it have ever existed? Should Chrysler have left the Challenger nameplate alone and have just called this car the Chrysler Galant? Comment Below!