W hen Dodge unveiled the Challenger concept car two years ago at the Detroit auto show, we couldn't wait to get our hands on the production model. And here she finally is, a badass broad with big hips and a 425 bhp 6.1-liter Hemi V8 -- good old-fashioned Detroit iron. Dodge stylists stashed a 1970 model in the studio for reference, and the influence is obvious: the chopped top, the outside filler cap and those hips we mentioned. If you don't remember the original Challenger, rent the highway epic Vanishing Point (1971) and crank the volume.

The 2009 Challenger SRT8 rolls into showrooms this month. We hustled a Challenger around California's Willow Springs Raceway, and for a two-ton car, this baby can boogie. With sharp steering input and scads of power (zero to 60 in 5.1 seconds), the Challenger runs like a scalded dog with a delicious rap from its twin exhausts. It may look retro cool, but there's little retro about the technology built in. The ABS/ESP system features a lateral g-force sensor that knows when you're accelerating out of a hot corner and gets the brakes primed without intervening. A slick-shifting five-speed auto stick lets you flick through gears with ease (a six-speed Viper-derived automatic is also available, along with a six-speed manual with a "pistol-grip" shifter). Should you get up near this ride's 170 mph top speed, the enormous Brembo disc brakes will come in handy. Dodge has wrapped Goodyear Eagle performance rubber around the 20-inch alloy wheels.

The fun starts with a gutsy, AMG-exclusive, 518-bhp, 6.2-liter V-8, linked to a seven-speed MCT (multi-clutch technology) gearbox. A discrete dial alongside the console shifter offers a wealth of transmission settings. Select from C (comfort), S (sport), S+ (seriously sporty) and M (manual) to dial your shift speed. The 200-millisecond C-setting is fine for heavy traffic, but you'll prefer to play in sport, with shift times that are 20 percent quicker. S+ is 40 percent faster still, and for serious driving, the manual setting holds your selected gear all the way to the V-8's snarling 7,200 rpm redline, unless you shift first (paddles, naturally). For downshifts, a lightning-quick automatic throttle blip minimizes shift shock.

As for the interior, we love the sinister black-on-black leather, replete with aluminum accents and a four-bomb analog gauge panel -- pure old school. Go for the optional Kicker 13-speaker audio system with a 322-watt amp and a booming 200 watt subwoofer.

Does the world need another Mopar car that can fly that fast at 13.1 miles a gallon? If the idea of $2,100 gas-guzzler tax scares you, opt for the tamer Challenger with a 370-bhp 5.7 liter Hemi V8 or the 250-bhp 3.5 liter V6. You'll still get the badass looks, but you'll pass the pumps a little more often. The big-engined SRT8s are going fast; figure on about $42,000.