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Dodge restores Brass Monkey wheels to Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat

For the first part of 2020, Dodge removed the option of its Devils Rim aluminum wheel design in Brass Monkey finish for the Hellcat-powered Challenger and Charger models. Mopar Insiders reports the wheels will return to the menu once Dodge starts production of its two muscle cars again, tidings to please forum members asking why they couldn't order the rims. The standard fit on the regular cars is a 20-inch Low Gloss Black Performance wheel, the options either a 20-inch Machined w/Granite Pocket wheel or a 20-inch Matte Vapor SRT aluminum wheel. On the widebody cars, standard fit is a 20-inch Carbon Black Aluminum wheel, one option being a 20-inch Warp Speed Granite wheel that's the same design as the Matte Vapor but with a different finish. The 20-inch Brass Monkeys are the second option on widebody versions of the Charger Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye, replacing the 20-inch Matte Vapor SRT Aluminum rim available on the non-widebody.   Those choices are on the Dodge configurator. At the time of writing, what's missing from the online tool are the Brass Monkey options for the standard Challengers and the Charger Hellcat Widedody models that MI says are coming. The wider versions of the Challenger Hellcat bolt on a set of 20-inchers that are 11 inches wide; we're told the standard cars will offer Brass Monkey rims in 20 x 9.5 inches. The Charger Hellcat only comes in two widebody versions, so it should get the 20x11-inch Brass Monkey wheels, but the options haven't showed up on the configurator. The sole choices at the moment are the Carbon Black Aluminum and Warp Speed Granite wheels. The other difference to note is that wheres the optional wheels on the Challenger all cost $1,095, the Charger's upgrades cost $1,295. Whenever production begins in Brampton, Ontario, again, the coveted wheels will bring another extra with them: Exterior badges done in a Black and Dark Bronze finish. Related Video:    

What's the deal with Chrysler demanding colleges crush their Vipers? [w/video]

Students and teachers at a Washington community college are up in arms following an order from Chrysler that it must destroy the pre-production Dodge Viper that was donated to the school's automotive technology program ten years ago.
The Viper in question is said to be the fourth off the production line, based on its VIN, and has had its emissions controls disabled, allowing its ten-cylinder engine to produce 600 horsepower, according to a report from Yahoo! Autos. As one of the first Vipers ever produced, the school's AT instructors claim it could be worth $250,000 in a museum, while a local news report purports that Jay Leno once tried to purchase the car, but the sale was prevented by Chrysler.
As pointed out by our friends at Autobytel, though, there are a lot of things in this story that don't quite add up. Immediately noticeable from the news report embedded below - which shows the car at South Puget Sound Community College - is that the car in question is not a 1992 model. When the Viper went on sale in 1992, it was only available as an RT/10 with a (flimsy) soft top, like the red car shown above. But the car featured in the report from KING5 News (inset image) is clearly a hardtop Viper GTS, which didn't enter production until 1996. And even if, as reported by a local newspaper, the hardtop featured is a prototype, it doesn't explain the lack of another iconic feature of the first Vipers - their distinctive side pipes. This kind of pokes holes in the school's argument that this is the fourth Viper to ever roll down the line. At best, this appears to be a pre-production Viper GTS.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is shutting down permanently this December

It is with disappointment that we report the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI, will be closed down permanently at the end of this year. The museum, which closed in 2012 after not being able to cover costs, was recently reopened to the public on alternating weekends starting in June, but Chrysler made the decision to shutter it altogether after its final day of operation on December 18, 2016. The reason for this is primarily because FCA needs more office space, and the company decided to convert the museum for that purpose. The the cars will be moved to storage after the closure, and they'll be shown at various events. However, they'll only be able to be seen together for two more weekends. Those weekends include those of November 19 and 20, and December 17 and 18. The museum will be open from 10 am to 4 pm on those days. If you can, we highly recommend visiting the museum. Adults get in for $10, seniors and retired FCA employees for $8, kids between 6 and 17 for $6, and kids under 5 for free. It also has some fantastic cars including concepts from the 1950s to the 2000s, oddball performance vehicles such as the Omni GLH-S, and of course plenty of fascinating history. And if it makes any difference to you, there's even a purple Plymouth Prowler you can sit in. Just make sure you don't wait too long to make up your mind about visiting. Related Video: