Enthusiast bloggers challenge Chrysler's flying Challenger
Is the Challenger photo "shopped" or is it really flying? The hoopla around the Chicago Auto Show launch of the Dodge Challenger production model includes some press photos of the new Dodge Challenger in its orange glory taking flight over a small hill on a country road. This was too much to believe for journo's at Jalopnik, Gawker's auto enthusiast-flavored blog (their photo above).
Jalopnik's Matt Hartigree posted a challenge to the auto blogosphere: Find the seven most obvious errors on the photo that reveals the Chrysler-supplied photo is a fake. Guesses range from bad shadow shape to blacked-out window reflections. Chrysler is standing behind the photo's authenticity and even promising a video for proof.
What do you think? Real or "shopped?" See below for the original photo and more...
Follow up: Chrysler says, Yes, it's true. The photo was shot by John Coughlin and it took four takes to get it right. Stay tuned... video to follow. jg
--Joni Gray
That car is AWESOME! Who cares if it was PS'ed or not.
Posted by: Steve | February 06, 2008 at 07:47 PM
all I can say is, Beautiful! - kevin devoto
Posted by: Kevin Devoto | February 06, 2008 at 08:54 PM
Photoshopped all the way.
I could swear in court that I saw this car a full year ago on the Westside, down to the color and the black stripes. I recognized it instantly as a Challenger without seeing the nameplate. Could I have seen a prototype?
Posted by: bob'syeruncle | February 07, 2008 at 07:53 AM
Awesome, Totally Awesome!!!
I would have to have a white one like in the movie "Vanishing Point"
I love this Retro thing... Even with 3 buck a gallong gas
Posted by: Lynda | February 07, 2008 at 08:22 AM
Either way, it is still a Dodge...
Posted by: Gary | February 07, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Just a good ol' boy....
Posted by: Cooter | February 07, 2008 at 11:14 AM
To bobsyerunlce:
It was on the Westside last year. I saw it on the Santa Monica Pier where they were using it to film or photograph an ad or promotional piece or something.
I love this car but one thing that bothers me is the constant comparison to a Challenger because of the name...don't any of you Mopar people see this as more of a Cuda?
Can't wait to buy mine!
Posted by: Kowalski | February 07, 2008 at 12:18 PM
This looks like the next white trash car of the decade. Are Trans Ams gonna come back too?
Posted by: DJ | February 07, 2008 at 12:27 PM
kevin devoto is the expert on these and he says: Shopped. But nicely done! - kevin devoto
Posted by: kevin devoto | February 07, 2008 at 12:32 PM
The car may have been ps'ed onto another background, or the picture may have been cleaned up. But the Challenger sure was in the air: the supension is hanging a lot lower than when it's sitting on the road.
Posted by: Laurent | February 07, 2008 at 02:28 PM
Yuck! I just wish the Muscle Car would die! And it can take NASCAR with it! The front page today has yet another story about ANOTHER multiple-car pile-up.
Gasoline at premium prices and threatening to drag the economy down with it. Solid evidence of Global Warming. Noise and traffic and pollution becoming more inesacpable. Muscle cars had their days, and things got saner for awhile when they disappeared in the '70's.
It's time for us to again take a more sane and equitable tack in private transportation, which also affects public transportation. Muscle cars aren't part of that mix.
I noticed in the photo above, the new Challenger actually appears even larger than it's 70's predecessor, and certainly pushes more air at least, with a higher profile.
I think it just allows a more privledged people- those who can afford these priceys overpowerd luxuries- to act irresponsibly. If we kept motor sizes down, the highways would be safer and we'd all breathe easier.
A transition to hybrid and electric would be facilitated.
Maybe back at the dawn of the '70's, a motorist could find more open stretches of road to put their foot down and violate speed limits. But today, they'll just be more likely sitting in bogged down traffic, or waiting at intersections, with their big motors foolishly guzzling gas, and damaging our quality of life.
Think how much nicer life would be without smog tests and expensive insurance!
Posted by: Nancy Wilson | February 12, 2008 at 05:56 PM
In my unexpert opinion - they really did jump (and ruin) a production car. Then they photoshopped it to make it look "cleaner". The non-reflections in the windows are the tipoff, but the shadow is pretty fake looking too.
When they release the video, a freeze frame will show the windows look like glass, not blacked out, and the shadow doesn't show up like that at all - you'd need very bright lights fairly close to cast that kind of shadow.
I'm sure Dodge loves the publicity.
Posted by: Boraxo | February 12, 2008 at 09:22 PM
Seems to me that all that "muscle" is just an attempt to compensate for inability to ride a motorcycle.
RR
Posted by: RickRussellTX | February 18, 2008 at 12:29 PM