Chevy and Ford were having such a great time in Trans-Am racing that Chrysler just had to get into the game. The Z-28 and trans-Am Firebird were enjoying excellent sales and street presence. The T/A Challenger had all the right moves, but as a race car lacked development time.

The small-block Mopar came with race car-like stiff suspension, fat tires, spoilers, a black hood, and exhaust pipes that exited in front of the real wheels... just like a real race car. Unfortunately, the T/A Challenger was a one-year-only car. The racing team didn’t do well and Detroit was beginning to get a muscle car hangover - quietly backing out of all the tire-burning muscle car fun.