I only turned 26 on the 17th, but I already feel as though I am getting old. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted with reckless abandon. Now, I find myself eating much more responsibly and avoiding fried food in particular as it unsettles my stomach. When I find myself in the US, however, there are two things I am guaranteed to do: photograph a lot of cars and visit a Popeye’s.
Joseph Dennis spoke of his fondness for Popeye’s in October and I echo his sentiments—it’s a cheap, nasty, tasty, guilty pleasure. Here in Australia, the only major fried chicken chain is KFC and it simply doesn’t compare. Popeye’s absence here is probably a blessing in disguise, shielding me from the inevitably expanding waistline and declining self-esteem. But there’s something glorious about the American excesses I partake in when I visit: the hefty portion sizes; those humongous $1 sweet teas at McDonald’s; the brash and garish cars and trucks.
No car shouts American excess quite as loudly as the Dodge Challenger. The blocky, retro styling and the available V8 engines are the main draws, of course, but the Challenger also features a rear seat that is habitable for adults. Not many mainstream, relatively affordable American coupes in recent years can boast that—have you tried squeezing adults into the back seat of a Mustang or an ATS Coupe?
Perhaps the last mainstream American coupe that could accommodate two grown adults in its rear thrones was the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It’s easy to forget the Camaro took an extended leave of absence from Chevy showrooms, leaving the Monte Carlo as the brand’s affordable “sports” coupe. Oh, sure, there was a supercharged V6 engine available – even a V8 in its last two seasons – but there was nothing terribly athletic about the W-Body Monte Carlo. But not all coupe buyers want raw track performance—some simply want an expressive design. The habitable rear seat was probably a nice bonus. The last time I was in Detroit, in 2012, I was amazed to see just how absurdly common the 2000-07 Chevrolet Monte Carlo was. The traction afforded by front-wheel-drive as well as a domestic nameplate further sweetened the deal for Detroiters.
As for Popeye’s, I have a confession to make. I had a few hours between my flight to Los Angeles and my flight out of Los Angeles but a friend of mine wasn’t able to come meet me to hang out. How did I pass the time? I took an Uber to the nearest Popeye’s (in Inglewood) and had myself a feast. Oh, and I definitely partook in a few free refills of sweet tea. Ahh, American excess.
2006-07 Monte Carlo photographed January 12, 2012 in Washington D.C.
Monte Carlo and Challenger photographed November 2, 2016 in Inglewood, CA.
Snow-covered Challenger photographed in Manhattan’s East Village in 2014.
Related Reading:
Future Classic: 2015 Dodge Challenger V6 – The Rarest Challenger.
CC Capsule: 1975 and 2006-07 Chevrolet Monte Carlos – I See The Resemblance
We got a Popeye’s in the neighborhood about a year ago. Got a coupon in the mail for a 12 piece bucket for $7.99. Really good chicken, better than KFC.
Challengers abound up here in the land of cheap gasoline. Cheap in comparison to the rest of Canada. Sometimes it seems there are more of them than Camaros or Mustangs. The W-body Monte Carlo is much more scarce as I suspect it was never a big seller in this country.
I’m a big fan of fried chicken and recently heard a Popeye’s franchise has opened in Edmonton. Definitely worth checking out as I have never eaten there in the US.
Even here in Vancouver, gasoline is historically cheap. I recall paying $0.45/L in 1980 when I was a teenager working for $4.00 per hour. In today’s terms, that’s $1.28, or about ten cents more than we are paying now.
Yet the only Chargers I’ve ever seen here were either tourists or rentals.
There’s a reason there are more Chargers: FCA will finance at longer terms and lower credit scores. You can pay for your Charger over 96 months, and be upside down on the loan the whole time.
I’ve seen financing for 84 months. The thought of financing a new vehicle over 96 months sends a chill down my spine.
Mmm… Popeyes! Spicy chicken breast, mashed potatoes w/cajun gravy, a biscuit w/butter and cole slaw and a beer to wash it down with! A perfect dinner in the park before a summer community concert.
A meal of champions (maybe only twice a year for me!)
Oh… the cars? Meh… nothing to interest me in those photos. Popeyes rules!
Southern Culture on the Skids “8 piece box”
The Challenger does stand out from the Camaro and Mustang in that it’s much more a modern day successor to the Monte Carlo, Thunderbird and Cougars than it is a ponycar. The rear seat actually offers better room than a lot of midsize sedans(not surprising with a 116″ wheelbase) and it’s sheer weight makes it much more on the PLC end of the scale.
I love Popeyes, I have it only 2-3 times a year now a days but I crave it 365.
I have to disagree on the Challenger being a PLC successor. In base V6 form, you could argue that all 3 ponies more or less take up those reigns to a point being that the performance is more than adequate but its more about the style.
As a whole, the Challenger is more in the vein of the B body Chargers, Chevelle, and Torino. Its a straight up ‘muscle car’ when you take the lineup as a whole into account. The Mustang/Camaro have the edge in the twisties yet its not as much of a gap as the auto rags would have you believe. The elephant in the room is, very few V8 ponies will be left completely bone stock if owned by any kind of enthusiast. Even the V6 models get some aftermarket love, and when a car is dialed in to the owners style and driving habits its a wash. As to the car itself, being basically a chopped down Charger means that the Challenger also has a usable trunk and back seat as a consequence. Any performance offset is minimal at most but what you get is a car that is bought for reasons of self gratification but then suprises with how practical it actually is. I call that a HUGE win.
I would argue that actually, but the Challenger has the distinction of being as legitimately useable as an everyday car as a midsize sedan, despite it’s two doors, while the Camaro and Mustang are in essence two seaters with a seat shaped storage shelf in back. I totally agree with comparing it to a B body Charger, and I do find it’s qualities an asset in fact, but that brings me to my next point…
The current Challenger being based on the large Charger is essentially the difference between the Coronet and Charger in the 60s – remember the Charger was originally a ponycar of sorts for Dodge, a specialty car segmented roughly between a Mustang and Thunderbird, so as to not eat into the Barracuda’s sales – It wasn’t like a Torino or Chevelle, that would be the Coronet, the Charger’s relationship to the Coronet was analogous to the Barracuda and the Valiant, but bigger, or a Grand Prix and the Catalina, but smaller. It was a specialty car just as they were, based on humbler underpinnings, and when you look at it from that perspective the B-body Charger was in essence a PLC in all ways but name. They weren’t all 440-426 R/Ts back then, they could be had with the 225 slant six or 318, and the SE as a vinyl topped, wood laden, leather clad cruiser. They were muscular looking, but that was the style, and when the Grand Prix moved to the intermediate platform, followed by the Monte Carlo(of which there was the muscle car SJ package with a choice of 428s and a 4 speed, and the SS with the LS5 454), those were the next style – what separates them from the Charger really?
I see where youre going with that. One thing to keep in mind is the Charger DID have a PLC variant once it hit the 3rd gen (’71-’74) and went whole hog when it was nothing more than a barely disguised Cordoba. When I think of ‘Charger’ the 2nd gen (’68-’70) is what immediately comes to mind. I should have specified, since ‘Charger’ has been applied to pretty much every bodystyle of car short of a wagon! The Charger SE was pulling PLC duty in a similar vein as the Mustang Grande. It was a way to broaden the appeal to a different audience. The current model in theory could be optioned up somewhat like that, if you were to take a V6 model and spec out all the tech options and some chrome goodies. The last Dodge that Id say was a credible PLC was the Avenger/Stratus coupe. Its directly comparable to that W body Monte.
That said, its specifically the 2nd gen Charger that I think the LX Challenger most closely succeeds. Although, there IS a significant similarity with the 3rd gen also, in that the ’71-’74 was THE B body coupe in those years, with a unique bodystyle and name from the sedan…much as the LX Charger and LX Challenger are similarly connected. So again, I see your point, even if I don’t buy in wholesale.
I actually had the second gen in mind in my post, as the SE package began in 1969, but yeah, we’re on the same page essentially.
I think PLC carries with it a certain broughamy stink that creates a lot of grey areas. As with the reservation to label a second gen (and first gen) Charger as such, I feel an equal reservation to label this generation Monte Carlo one either, as well as the MN12 Thunderbird and Cougar, which(barring a dealer applied landau top) all really shed their broughamy 70s elements by this point, despite retaining the association. But in essence they’re all descendants of the same formula, call it personal coupe, specialty coupe, or personal luxury coupe, it’s really all interchangeable. It’s all the same formula as the pony car, just in a midsize package and that’s where the new Challenger really falls under.
W-bodies (all versions) are the Camrys and Accords of Michigan, especially Lansing, Flint, and Metro Detroit. People just never stopped buying them here. They have their merits – comfy, quiet, soft riding over the awful potholes, bigger than most mid-size cars, REALLY cheap as late model used rides, decent styling from most divisions, and mechanically they do just keep on going and going, leaving a trail of peeling plastic trim and rocker panel mouldings on the pavement behind them.
I never really liked the rear styling of the 2000-07 Monte Carlo, but I really liked the general concept of the car itself, as it was the last big, low-priced “soft” 2 door Boulevard cruiser sold in the US. Basically the spiritual successor to the 1970s Cutlass Supreme et al. I owned a 1997 model (the Lumina one, but same basic layout/suspension) in High School and have mostly fond memories. It looked sporty, but drove like a heavy, quiet, softly damped FWD sedan. And that’s what most buyers expected (ignoring the tacky bright yellow Z24 and SS versions, which were silly and appealed to a whole other demographic). I wouldn’t really put it in the same category as the current Challenger/Mustang/Camaro. Really not much in common apart from the fact that they’re large domestic 2-doors.
It’s amazing how tiny and insubstantial the tan Monte looks next to the black Dodge in the front 3/4 view… cars sure have gotten tall and blunt looking in the last 10 years. IIRC the Chevy is actually larger in width and length.
Challenger is wider but they’re about the same length, just shy of 200″. I agree about the vertical bulk, it’s equally apparent when comparing the Challenger to the original 70-74s. To my eye height looks more ungainly and bulky than width and length, guess that’s suburban vs. urban perspective on my part.
Monte Carlo L: 196.7″ W: 72.9″
Challenger L: 197.7″ W: 75.7″
One of these days I will have a Challenger; it may be a beaten down six-banger, but it will happen.
Fried chicken and sweet tea are two staples of life for some. As one who is gluten-intolerant, fried chicken is usually taboo for me (which leaves me with tea). It seems Popeye’s is also, at least in this area, but there is a Lee’s Fried Chicken directly across the street from where I work. Lee’s may be a semi-regional thing.
Now, about that sweet tea, the vice that keeps on giving to the waistline…Wendy’s has the best sweet tea of any chain, in my opinion. Chick-Fil-A is a distant second and McDonald’s will do in a pinch. Sonic is good, but there is a lot of variability among locations. But when I cheat and get fried chicken, Lee’s also serves a pretty delightful sweet tea.
William, if you ever find yourself in the Southeastern USA, go to the nearest Bojangles’ and try the chicken there. Hands down, better than Popeye’s, in my humble opinion. (Though the red beans & rice side at Popeye’s is delicious.) The sweet tea is excellent as well, though it is SWEET and requires a squeeze of lemon to be at its best.
As to the cars? The Monte really was the last large non-performance coupe, SS versions (sort of) excepted. Though I imagine it owed at least part of its reason for being to NASCAR, back when your had to be “based” (and I use that word loosely) on a production coupe. Ford blew that one up when they declined to offer a replacement for the Thunderbird and the sanctioning body let them use “Taurus” (again, used very loosely) bodies.
I pass a black on black on black Challenger (paint, interior, tint, wheels) on my way into work every morning as a co-worker owns one. Just a V6 base with some light personalization, but man is that a mean-looking car. I certainly wouldn’t mind one though I don’t think I’ll be buying another 2-door anytime soon.
+1 on Bojangles’, Chris. We briefly had one here in Eastern Baltimore County, but I think it closed and eventually reopened as a Popeye’s. Good stuff there, if you like your fried chicken spicy.
And loosely based? [NASCAR] – Understatement of the year. Last time I checked, the Taurus (that replaced the T-Bird in 1998) and the Fusion that came later, DID NOT COME IN A COUPE! Those race cars look more like coupes than the sedans they are trying to portray.
Of course one could argue: Sedan – 4 doors; Coupe – 2 doors; a NASCAR Race Car – NO doors. You gotta climb in thru the window.
I found it particularly bad all when they started using “mustangs” in nascar(or whatever inconsequential subsegment it is). The bodies still don’t look like Mustangs despite being 2 doors, they still look like Monte Carlos with Mustang light stickers. What a joke.
Indeed… I stopped following NASCAR when my favorite driver Mark Martin retired, but have seen pictures of these ‘Mustangs’ (if you want to call them that) of which you speak. I agree. They look quite ridiculous.
All Nascars look ridiculous because they are just common bodyshells stickered-up to the separate cars, both the main series and the second tier Camaro/Mustangs (plus others?)
Here in Maryland, we have KFC(s) and Popeye’s of course, but the best fried chicken in this area is from a convenience store believe it or not. “Royal Farms World Famous Fried Chicken” is what it’s called, which I find hilarious, since Royal Farms Stores are a REGIONAL chain…. but no matter… it’s REALLY good.
Further to the South however is a chain that I really wish would expand into this area… Zaxby’s. I had their chicken when I went to the Augusta area of Georgia, and WOW… That had to be the best tasting fried chicken I’ve ever had.
Like many other posters here, age being a factor, it’s something that I do not have very often. As to sweet tea… I’ve never been a fan. Once in a while, if some restaurant has a raspberry flavored one and does it right, fine. But I prefer it unsweetened with maybe a hint of lemon.
I have to agree with XR7Matt above, the Challenger is more of a sporty personal luxury car than a pony car. It’s back seats are more like my old T-Birds or my very last PLC pictured below. My 2007 Mustang is only a 4 passenger car when two of those passengers are my granddaughters… ages 8 and 12. ;o) – Yeah, adults aren’t going to fit in the back of the ‘Stang… but my T-Birds or the Grand Prix? Yeah, the rear seat passengers had plenty of room once they dealt with getting in.
And as to the W Body? My opinion is a little biased as to which was the best. ;o)
Im convinced the sweet/unsweet tea debate is largely regional. My family moved from NJ to TN when I was 5. Ive always preferred my tea strait, strong and ice cold, no lemon, sugar or any other BS. My parents always used a full package of the pink stuff between them. But what’s served in the southeast is disgusting to my taste, although how exactly they manage to dissolve 5 lbs of processed sugar in an 8oz glass is beyond my understanding. Here in Oregon unless you’re in a restaurant that specifically focuses on southern style cooking, unsweet is what you get, and you’re free to doctor it how you want. As to Popeyes, Adam Sandler nailed it in ‘Little Nicky’…”Popeye’s chicken is the shizznit!!!”
I agree on the Grand Prix GTP coupes being hands down the top of the W body mountain. That said, a car that sharp looking and that size class deserves FAR better than a fwd/V6/automatic layout.
I think you’re right about the tea thing being regional. My Dad’s from the Scranton PA area and grew up drinking it unsweetened, and the old “like father like son” thing, I learned to like it that way. My Mom grew up in Southwestern VA, and preferred her tea sweetened, although she’s come over to the unsweetened side. She makes an unsweetened blueberry iced tea (naturally brewed, then chilled) that is so good in the summertime.
And I loved the Grand Prix, but was happy to be back in a RWD car when I bought the Mustang. Although the GTP handled well, you couldn’t escape constantly reminding yourself that you were in a FWD car when taking a spirited drive through the windy-twisties. It was better than most, but still a FWD car.
My sis had a ’94 GTP coupe with the 3.1L. Looked really sharp but the drivetrain was a major letdown. The later 3.8 SC with some underhood tweaks and an Eibach Pro Plus suspension kit would have made a major difference. IMHO, fwd is great when properly applied. In a small hatchback with a boosted 4 banger and grippy tires, thats a go-kart for days. Blasting thru tight city streets and carving up twisty mountain roads that’s where it shines. The W body sedans had plenty of power and good handling given that they’re 4-doors–not the stuff of hi-po dreams. In a beefy muscular coupe, RWD and a monster V8 for terrorizing cammacords and sending tires to an early death is the endgame. It took a while but I think the mfg’s are figuring that out since soft fwd mid/full size coupes are nearly extinct. OTOH, if you have something aggressive looking, rwd with ample power on tap and aftermarket support, its as good a time as ever to be selling such an animal.
“how exactly they manage to dissolve 5 lbs of processed sugar in an 8oz glass is beyond my understanding. ”
Supersaturation. Bring the tea almost to a boil, keep stirring in sugar until it starts pooling in the pan. More sugar will go into the solution the higher the temp of the solution. Don’t hit boil, though – you don’t want to bruise the tea.
If you want the best sweet tea, pick up American Classic Tea – the only tea grown in America, right here in Charleston county, SC.
Never had some Popeye’s. You would think a fast food connoisseur like myself would indulge in it, but not yet.
I’ve always been a fan of the Dodge Challenger, and I can vouch for the interior space. The thing about the Challenger is that it’s also surprisingly comfortable. The ride isn’t like a true PLC but it’s not like you’ll break your spine when you go over a pothole, in that sense, it feels more like a grand tourer and that regard. I always said that I wanted one as my next car, but after living with a two door for a while, I think I just want the convenience of a sedan.
As to the Monte Carlo, if you were to look up debasement in the dictionary, I bet there’s a picture of one of these cars next to the word.
Popeye’s and Bojangles are decent, but my go-to place for fried chicken is my local Publix supermarket. Big pieces, yummy breading, and not greasy.
Publix fried chicken is da bomb. Popeye’s is excellent, too. KFC sucks, ever since they went healthy. It was righteous when cooked in lard, but now…it’s shriveled poultry, over-spiced. I get agita eating it. Publix is HOT, crispy and juicy, the way Jim Dandy fried chicken in New England used to be; Popeye’s simply is the greasy decadence that KFC used to be when the Colonel was alive. Point of fact – my sister-in-law Mary’s overgrown baby of a husband, Rick, will make a beeline for the closest Publix IMMEDIATELY upon arrival in Florida for their annual two-week timeshare stay. He wants to partake of it the moment he crosses the threshold. (If there’s any left! – he usually kills off three pieces of it on the way from the Publix to the timeshare.They live in Washington State. Neither Safeway nor QFC make anything like it. Go figure.)
I remember trying to squeeze into the rear seat of Barracudas, Javelins, Mustangs, Challengers and the Camaro/Firebird twins in the early 1970s. I was 17 thenabouts. Those seats were meant for juvenile midgets or dwarves, not normal-sized people. If some software engineer ever wants to improve the original Overlord PC game, he/she should add a pony car for getting around. No Overlord should have to walk the length and breadth of his realm. He could put the minions in the back seat…the brown minions, anyway. The red, blue and green minions should be relegated to the trunk, or a trailer. Their habits are revolting. But I digress…
I really was amazed when the American car makers finally tried, seriously, to emulate the Euro sport sedans in the late 1990s . I haven’t owned anything but a Taurus since 1996 (a used 1990 wagon, which is mechanically about four years old after I went through it from one end to the other, and drives as well as the day it left the Atlanta assembly plant in October 1989). It may not quite be a 2002tii, but – as with my 1965 Corvair 4DR hardtop, fondly remembered – once launched into action, the brake pedal rarely is needed. Point it and floor it, and the s**t-eating grin can be forgiven.
Short layover at LAX and you didn’t go to In-N-Out Burger?
Nope. I had it once on a road trip to Vegas and after ALL that hype – everybody was constantly telling me how great it was – I was profoundly disappointed. Yes, even with the animal fries.
Now, Chick-Fil-A was all I had hoped it would be. That is some tasty fast food, although for reasons I won’t go into here, I don’t wish to give that business any more of my money.
It actually amazes me how anyone would actually, and willingly, eat this stuff on a regular basis. In fact, just three days ago and old friend had a heart attack while at work. He loves fast food and soda. He’s also 300 lbs, and in obvious decline at age 50.
Whenever I go back to the country, my increasingly large and increasingly unhealthy friends all say my wife and I are too thin. We are not. We both have a BMI smack dab in the middle of normal.
I’ve always been fond of running, hiking, skiing, and above all scuba diving. I don’t want to stop any of these things, even if it means not giving in to the occasional McDonald’s craving.
Besides, home cooking is much tastier and cheaper.
Its all about balance, man. Back when I lived in TN, youd see grossly overweight middle aged people trucking into work at their sedentary jobs with a bag of McDonalds filth grease soaking thru the bag. And it would vanish within a hour. You wanna go to Carls Jr and grub down on that beer cheese double burger….knock yourself out. But that’s meant to be a treat, not its own damn food group. Me personally, if I’m on a heavy fast food kick Ill go to Del Taco on 3 for 3 Turkey taco day once a week a couple weeks in a row. I also lift weights pretty heavy 3 days a week too, so there’s that….
Hope your buddy can learn to manage a bit better. 50 is WAY too young to be in ‘decline’, and certainly too early to be getting a blast in the ticker.
You hit the nail on the head. When I was a kid, I had super picky taste buds, and I ate fast food once a week. No doubt contributing to my poor fitness, and lack of anything resembling stamina. Once I hit my sophomore year of high school, I vowed to cut back on it and now I resemble a pencil in terms of my body shape. Still don’t exercise, and I will admit to never eating a salad, but I at least don’t engorge myself on drive thru cuisine 24/7.
Though, despite my appreciation for more foods, like I said, I still have a weakness for the stuff. Sometimes, when it comes to food, something cheap, fast, and greasy is the only thing that’ll hit the spot. It comes in a clear plastic wrapping, and I know it has enough chemicals to pollute a freshwater lake, but, you can’t help but indulge in a guilty pleasure once in a while.
I work out almost every day because I sit down for work. It makes one a better diver, too. Heck, it makes EVERYTHING better. Never get sick, no aches and pains……
Mmmmmm, Popeye’s. (I think I just involuntarily made the Homer Simpson noise…)
+1!
William, you may not be aware of this, but around Detroit, EVERYONE has someone in their family from whom they can get a fairly massive employee discount from whichever manufacturer they work for.
The discounts can be so massive that you would forget you don’t like Detroit cars. If you catch a slow-moving model at the right time of year, the discount can be 40% off *invoice* (not MSRP).
All this talk of fried chicken…and at lunchtime, too.
Lgbpop, Rick eats chicken in a car?!? Oh dear.
A few years back our son had to make and record a meal for home ec. He did fried chicken, even brining it in buttermlk first. The result was great but the mess left in its wake was something to behold. We go out now a few of the hipster burger joints are doing it too.
Love the photo of the snow covered Challenger, great shot. Still disliking snow.
It’s a shame what became of the once iconic and meaningful Monte Carlo nameplate. While it may have been sad to see it go in 1988, after witnessing its “reincarnation” with the final two fwd generations, I think Chevy would have been best sticking with “Lumina Coupe” as it was far less to live up to. Both W-body generations of the Monte Carlo just had such awkward, ungainly proportions, not to mention very low-rent interiors. I could just never warm up to either.
The Challenger on the other hand is a car I can appreciate. It’s not my cup of tea, but it certainly has true muscle car performance and style.
BTW, what is this “Popeyes” place you’re talking about?… Just kidding. I’ve heard of it, though I’ve never been to or even seen one in person. Not my cup of tea either though as I’m not a fast food/fried food person. Call me “un-American”, but my last visit to a McDonalds was circa 2006 🙂
I’m sure not gonna call you “unAmerican”, I reaize that McDonalds is supposed to be an “icon”, But I actually never ate at one untill is was well in to my teens. As for the big burger chains, BK and Wendy’s are much better. I will say this, McDonalds coffee is really good..
William;
off topic, but it gave me a shock when you said you had just turned 26. your writing comes across with a more mature tone than one usually expects in such a young pup!
I hope you continue to write for cc for many, many years to come!
a much(much!) older William
oh yes: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Aww thanks Bill! That’s very nice of you to say. And I’m glad you’re not saying I LOOK much older than 26! 🙂
And thank you for the birthday greeting too!
I hope I’m around here on CC for a long time to come, too! My favourite site on the web…
I know that this is an automotive website, but when the subject of fried chicken comes up the only oil that I’m thinking of is the oil to fry that delicious chicken.
I’ve always kinda wanted to see Chrysler make a 300 coupe and call it a Córdoba.
Ive long wanted to see a 2-dr 300C. Make it a 2-dr true hardtop and offer both the 345 and 392 Hemis. But rather than ‘Cordoba’, I’d call it the 300 Fury. I see a remake of ‘Christine’ in that one.
Yeah, but I want mine with a bordello red button tufted interior and the coin hood ornament. The Pentastar gives enough scoot for me.
I’ve never been to a Popeyes, even though there has been one near me for a few years.
Was never much of a fan of the later Monte Carlo. The Nascar style did not appeal and seemed at odds with the FWD. The banishment of decent Velour and woodgrain left the interior generic.
I respect the Challenger but think modern muscle cars in a bigger, retro body is played out. That is why I think the less retro new Mustang was so successful.
A retro move as yet undone would be a Chrysler retro version of the Cordoba. A 3.0 turbodiesel from the Ram could provide the big block feel. You would have to be willing to do hood ornaments, Spanish medallions, vintage style wheels and maybe a Chrysler style bench with the bucket shaped seatbacks and the wide armrest. Keep the Corinthian leather optional, Chrysler had some cool corduroy fabric choices. Not sure the cocooning that led to the personal luxury cars before does not work again in the age of Trump. Get Ricky Martin to croon about them.
On fried chicken, my preferance is not on the bone. In the South there is a chain called Zaxbys that specializes in fingers usually with Texas Toast. I eat there often while on the road but agree with watching intake. Portions are just too big.
I agree that retro is played out but will also say the Challenger is the most convincing execution of it, modernized 1970 in initial form, and modernized 71 in it’s most recent form, not so much of a “best of 65-70” the 05-14 Mustang designs were. Dodge is largely stuck in a corner with the Challenger as it sits, because there was only one true generation of the original (I don’t count the Mitsubishi based ones since they’re unloved obscure footnotes), any deviation from retro will be met with criticism, unlike the Mustang(although there were tears from retro fans with the ’15) and Camaro which successfully pulled off clean breaks within 5 years of their original designs. I think the Challenger can live on in the same way the new Beetle does.
The 00-07 Monte Carlo’s have one thing in common with Popeye’s chicken. They fly off my buddies dealer lot when one comes in for sale just as the chicken flies off the cookers at Popeyes. This is one coupe that combines more expressive styling love it or hate it with more back seat room than most, good fuel economy with one of the 3400/3500/3800 V6 engines and enough performance for all but the race car drivers. They also seem to hold up well save the earlier intermediate steering shaft issues and the 3400/3800 intake issues that seem to have disappeared with the newer 3500/3900 engines. The 3800 SC 2004/05 versions are quite fast and the 2006 3900 cars aren’t bad either.
The current Challenger is IMO a modern day version of the old personal luxury coupe
The back seat room really is a strong point — I rode from North Carolina to Ohio in the back seat of a friend’s ’96 Monte Carlo and found it a comfortable place to travel. I’m not a huge guy (5’10”, ~200 at the time) but had room to spare in all directions.
I just wish they had called the ’94-’99 model what it was–a Lumina Coupe. The ’00 model at least applied some Monte Carlo styling cues, debatably successful as they may have been.
I’ve gotten the trots every time I’ve had Popeye’s here. Tasted great but….
Sweet tea? My parents were southern and I’ve had it, but I’ll have unsweetened every time, these days. If I want sweet I’ll have a full sugar, full caffeine Coke.
The Monte Carlo with the bull nuts tail lights has the same effect, I’d venture. Really tepid and half baked attempts at a 73 Monte Carlo retro look.
Ruh-roh… Burger King just bought Popeye’s earlier this week. I hope nothing changes…
http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/21/investing/restaurant-brands-burger-king-popeyes-acquisition/