Dodge Charger SRT-8

On some £2 coins, the motto reads, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants". Jaguar as a company has lived off the E-Type for so long. Sure, they make some nice models presently, but this ghost from the past is like their high-water mark. Can Pink Floyd make a better album than 'Dark Side of the Moon' now? Will Michael Jackson better 'Thriller'? Probably not. He can't even moonwalk now without using a treadmill. Maybe Neil Young said it best, "It's better to burn out than to fade away..."

Dodge, almost more than any of the American brands (and sub-brands) have a history of packing a big, angry V8 into a fairly boring saloon. The true Muscle-car era may have been a short one, but over the decades the template to boost sales and present a halo car to most ranges has always been used.

We may be witnessing the end of the American automobile industry as we currently see it, with all their extenuating problems. We may not. However, if this is one of the last cars that Chrysler make, then it's a good way to go. Not fade away...

The SRT-8 contains the most powerful production engine that Chrsyler has ever forced into a car with a 5-speed auto. The 6.1 litre Hemi makes 425bhp and allied to the car's cartoonish looks gives the SRT-8 the sort of respect the standard model can't get.