The Dodge Challenger has been out for almost two years now and the response has been nothing short of spectacular. The Dodge boys hit the nail on the head when they took the essence of the 1970 Challenger and re-sculpted it into the new modern form we know today. Customizers were quick to jump on it, putting their own personal touches on Dodge’s beautiful design. In fact, last year at SEMA, there were no fewer than fifty custom Challengers present.
Located in New Rochelle, NY, Proformance Industries is a company that is quietly making a name for themselves by crafting and manufacturing some of the coolest one-off wheels to ever roll on pavement. You see the owner, George Gjokaj, is a certified car nut. And I’m not talking about a little hazelnut here. The man is a master of mechanical thought and implementation. One of his new creations is the 2009 Dodge Challenger you see here. Oh, and by the way, this particular Challenger was commissioned by Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees. You know, the guy who’s considered to be the greatest closer in baseball history.
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The original idea behind this Challenger was to create something that hadn’t been seen before, something that was original, but in completed form stayed true to the Challengers roots, both as a road-going street car and as a vintage Trans-am racer. The car, per Mr. Rivera’s instructions, also had to be docile enough to drive every day and handle New York City traffic. Not an easy task when you’re starting off with a car that comes stock with 425 horsepower. This is where George Gjokaj and the boys at Proformance Industries really stepped up to the plate.
A 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8 was obtained and immediately disassembled. From there a plan was formulated and set into motion that would take the Challenger from a stock SRT-8 to a one-off Proformance original.
The most obvious modification came by way of widening the body a full three inches. Keep in mind this is no easy task, nor is it a kit. George knew that he did not want to disturb the overall lines of the Challenger, because let’s face it, they’re pretty damn good. He did however want to make the body more aggressive and give it a wider stance. The front fenders were dealt with first by inserting functional cooling ducts behind the front wheels. Then, following the existing body lines, Gjokaj proceed to cut and flare the existing sheet metal from the doors all the way back to the rear deck lid. Not only did this give the Challenger that wider track that George was looking for, but by retaining the existing width of the rear bumper, they were able to give the car a true Trans-am racer look and feel. From here a custom rear diffuser was constructed to accommodate the Challengers new wider stance and finish off the cars rear end. Tail light lenses were then blacked out and a custom emblem reading “GAME OVER” was inserted into the rear spoiler… (remember Mariano Rivera is a closer for the Yankees).
Up front the changes are less drastic. A shaker hood scoop from Classic Design Concepts was incorporated along with mild under hood accessories such a Mopar cold air intake and custom tune. A Mopar Performance cat back exhaust system was also added to help the big HEMI breath a bit better as well.
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To cure the chubby chub blues that all Challengers have, a set of big Hotchkis sway bars and springs were added front and rear. Wheels are one-offs, designed by both Mr. Rivera and Proformance Industries. 20×9’s up front are shod with Pirelli P-Zero tires and cope with the Challengers handling while big 20×12’s wrapped in 315/35/20 tread help to put all the HEMIs power down to the pavement.
The interior… Yep, that was done, too. The entire console was taken out and wrapped in leather, while white stitching hints at that Yankee ownership. Suede inserts were also incorporated into the side panels and headliner, while a neatly hidden Valentine One resides in the rear view mirror. You know, just in case Mr. Rivera decides to drive faster than his fast ball.
Like I said in the beginning, trying to create a custom car can sometimes end in tragedy. It can also, in the case of the Proformance Challenger, end in something that is truly a one-of-a-kind original that will not only turn heads, but force others to rethink their ideas of what real customization and execution is.
