It’s the brand new year and you know what that means? Brand new cars. While long since announced, we at VIP European Auto wanted to take a look at some of the fastest, sleekest, and most innovative cars on the market for 2021.
Before we get into all that, though, let’s take a look back at 2020 so we have something to compare to.
The Fastest Non-Muscle Car of 2020: Tesla Model S P100D
When it comes to speed, nothing could beat Tesla’s Model S P100D. It achieved 0-60 in 2.4 seconds flat: an astonishing acceleration indeed!
Of course, the Tesla Model S has been making headlines since it was first announced, so it’s no surprise it still gets a lot of love in the press. But how does it achieve such blistering speed? The P100D’s Ludicrous Mode is the answer.
Along with the acceleration, the P100D has a range of 348 miles and has a low center of gravity to help it stay firmly planted on the ground.
Now what’s in store for 2021? Buckle in, it’s about to get speedy.
Fastest Muscle Car of 2021
The title of the Fastest Car of 2021 goes to the 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock.
Building upon the already crazy tech of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, the Super Stock is meant to dominate in speed. It has the same engine as the Redeye, but is cleaner and more innovative to give the Super Stock an additional 10mph in speed.
The biggest difference between the Hellcat and Super Stock are the wheels and tires. The Super Stock downsized and took on the wheel specs of the Dodge Demon — 18-inches to fit 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radials.
But that’s pretty much the only difference. In fact, the wheel and tire setup is the only way to tell the Super Stock from the Redeye! It keeps the stealthy and sleek appearance, but hides horsepower under the hood that most have to see to believe.
So, how speedy is it? The 2021 Dodge Challenger Super Stock will go 0-60 mph in just 3.25 seconds, and cross the quarter mile in 10.5 seconds at 131 mph! That means it officially crossed the line as the fastest muscle car on the market, beating out the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500in a clean race.
History of the Dodge Challenger
The first Dodge Challenger, the Dodge Silver Challenger, was seen in 1958 and had a two-year run. The world then had to wait 12 years for a new Challenger to hit the market. In 1970, the first-generation Dodge Challenger made its introduction, based off of the Chrysler E platform while taking components from the Plymouth Barracuda.
Offered in two styles, as a coupe or a convertible, the lineup had eight engines available and nearly as many trims.
However, an oil crisis in 1973 shut the Challenger down, along with many performance vehicles, until 1978 when the second-generation of the Dodge Challenger was revived. What many may not know is when breaking back into the auto industry, the second generation Dodge Challenger was a rebadged Mitsubishi vehicle, the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupé, and sold it under the name “Dodge Colt Challenger.”
Since performance cars were taking some hits, Dodge started making vehicles that could stand out for more than just their power. These developments continued until 2008, nearly twenty years without a new Dodge Challenger, when the third generation Dodge Challenger came to be. Sharing elements of the first generation Dodge Challenger, this model was powered by a V6 engine capable of generating 250 horsepower.
In 2017, the Dodge Challenger received its first all-wheel drive model, the Dodge Challenger GT, and Dodge also revived the Challenger T/A for 2017 with three new trims – the T/A, T/A Plus, and T/A 392.
In 2018, Dodge released the muscle car to usurp the mighty Hellcat, the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
And, as we now know, in 2021, the Super Stock.
