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Photo: Instagram | libertywalkkato
It looks like not a single week (or day in certain cases) can go by without us dedicating a story to the Dodge Challenger. You know, as in the brand’s previous-generation muscle car, which was also the last one to be offered with a V8 engine.
The Hellcat series still gets the spotlight, not to mention the insane Demon and its four-digit output successor, the Demon 170, which boasts up to 1,025 horsepower in its range-topping configuration. It runs the standing quarter mile in 8.91 seconds officially, though unofficially, it has turned out to be faster than that, and with zero outside intervention, presumably. This model can hit 60 mph (97 kph) in 1.66 seconds, and that is still faster than new-age hypercars in a machine that costs a fraction of their money.
When looking at the specs and remembering that even in its most basic form, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat still offered over 700 horsepower at a hard push of the right pedal, it is easy to understand why this model still gets to sit under the spotlight today. Superior versions of the Hellcat came with more than 800 horsepower, and all of them look very muscly. Mind you, a normal HEMI V8 with no supercharging is also more than enough for daily drives, because we all know that muscle cars are great as long as they feature a V8 engine.
Photo: Instagram | libertywalkkato
But where does that put the modern-day Dodge Charger? Well, with its six-pot and battery-electric recipes, the company’s new age muscle car is not exactly a real muscle car, is it? After all, it is still unavailable with a V8 engine, despite blowing two candles off its birthday cake at the end of the year (2026). However, you have likely heard the big news, that Dodge plans to finally give it a V8, and rumor has it that it might be none other than the supercharged 6.2-liter unit – you know, the famous Hellcat mill.
It is widely believed that the first new-age Dodge Chargers with a V8 engine might come out either next year or the year after that, and we really hope that this thing materializes, because it is long overdue, especially when compared to the S650 Ford Mustang, which remains the only V8-powered muscle car currently on sale. The Chevrolet Camaro has been buried since the end of 2023, and word on the street is that a successor with four doors might be in the pipeline, and it should feature a V8 engine in its top grade.
Mind you, we have started venturing kind of far from the initial topic of this story, which has nothing to do with the potential upcoming Chevy Camaro, nor the latest Dodge Charger, for that matter, as it revolves around a tuned Dodge Challenger. We are looking at an early model year of the third generation, which stayed in production between 2008 and 2023. The company constantly refined it over the years, introducing various versions, all of which were topped by the aforementioned Demon 170 in terms of power and performance.
Photo: Instagram | libertywalkkato
This particular machine is now celebrating its 15 minutes of fame on social media courtesy of Liberty Walk’s founding father, who shared these images on Instagram not long ago. The project features the usual fender extensions at the front and rear, complete with the visible bolt-on design. These are joined by a vented hood, a fat apron attached to the OEM bumper, and a very fat three-piece ducktail spoiler. The usual decals are also on deck, and the car features a gray look, riding on black wheels.
The alloys came from the aftermarket catalog. They are very wide, quite large, and feature a lot of concavity. They have a Y-spoke design, and fill the extended arches perfectly (this writer believes), especially with the vehicle sitting very close to the ground. The latter part is due to the new adjustable air suspension that is also part of the makeover.
Liberty Walk does not usually leave its mark on the cockpits of its builds, so this Dodge Challenger likely retains its stock cabin layout and materials. The same goes for the oily bits, because the famous tuner based in the Land of the Rising Sun does not tend to apply elbow grease to its projects. Therefore, this muscle car should retain its original powertrain with no extra oomph, unless a different tuner was involved.
Some say Liberty Walk’s builds are childish, but my inner kid has always had a soft spot for them, and I also dig the pictured Dodge Challenger, with its revised stance. The question is, do you? Feel free to contradict me by dropping a few lines below. You can also agree with me by doing the same. So, how do you feel about this project? Is it a yay or a nay?