Dodge has a fascinating history of building hot compacts, one prominent example being the Omni GLHS by Shelby, while the Caliber SRT-4 marked a low point in terms of style and refinement. For the 2014 SEMA show in Las Vegas, the carmaker has taken its sensible Dart and tweaked it significantly to make it digestible to more discerning enthusiasts.
Painted in bright orange with matte black as a contrast color, and fitted with a prominent rear spoiler and diffuser, this Dart R/T concept looks pleasantly aggressive. But it also looks rather refined, thanks to a revised front fascia that turns the grille into a slit, while creating a large lower air intake visually separated by a body-colored strip. This feeds more air to the intercooler, Dodge says. We say it just looks cool.
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The flat black–colored aluminum hood incorporates a large duct that not only appears awesome, but also feeds extra air to the engine’s intake box. Fiat-Chrysler claims the Dart R/T concept seems “poised to strike fear in the competition.” We wouldn’t go that far, but we will say that the package is an impressive improvement over the already sleek-looking Dart. With 18-inch wheels, a big brake kit and adjustable coil-over suspension from the Mopar catalog, it promises better road manners, too.
Who knows—it might actually inspire a series production variant and add another chapter to Dodge’s remarkable history of compact high-performance beasts. Given the Dart’s general “meh”-ness, we think such a car can’t arrive quickly enough.
from Car and Driver Blog http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/QkmbbqfNIGU/
via Agya