The 2008 Challenger SRT8 is an important vehicle for Dodge -- big and brash, the coupe is the fastest thing in the automaker's stable this side of a Viper. The car's imposing lines make it easy to think the era of American muscle never ended -- and while today's industry talk is focused on small cars and gas mileage, the Challenger dares you to defy practicality. Jump behind the wheel, let its 6.1-liter V-8 roar, and worries about $4 gas, foreign oil, and carbon footprints seem to fade away. So in these tough times, what better way could Dodge promote its gloom and doom-defying super coupe than by taking it to the very home of escapist fun, Hollywood? At a couple events this week, Dodge got the Challenger SRT8 ready for its close up by handing it to some movie and TV stars to see what they thought.
Jay arrives in his 1970 Challenger R/T

Though Monday evening's festivities wouldn't normally be considered an event -- a guy goes to a showroom, signs some paperwork, and takes home a shiny new car -- when the driver in question is Jay Leno and the car is the first production Challenger to be delivered in the world, people tend to take notice. A crowd was at Big Valley Dodge in Van Nuys (where Leno has bought several cars, including his blue Viper) to see VP General Manager Mark Sellz hand Jay the keys to a black Challenger SRT8 (number 0004 in a first-year production run of 6400 vehicles). Consummate car guy Leno arrived in an orange 1970 Challenger R/T 426 Hemi and met with Mike Accavitti, Howard Tessly, Scott Brown, and Jodi Tinson from Dodge to check out the reborn version of his classic muscle coupe. After posing for pictures and getting briefed on features such as the Challenger's 0-60 timer and g-force meter, Leno fired up the engine and took off down Van Nuys Boulevard in the very first Challenger to roll off a showroom floor. So if you're in the LA area soon and spot a black on black SRT8 roaming the Valley, it's a pretty good bet the "Tonight Show" host will be at the wheel. That is until the Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger gets his (he's rumored to be picking one up soon).

Leno may be the first Challenger owner, but Dodge wanted to give other celebrity drivers a chance to try out their newest creation, too. So the next day the automaker invited some stars out to Willow Springs Raceway to log a bit of seat time. Arriving in a convoy of helicopters that was quickly mobbed by reporters from serious car enthusiast organizations like People, In Style, and Extra, the group that included Luke Wilson, Rob Lowe, David Spade, Carmen Electra, and Snoop Dogg met with Acavitti for an introduction before heading to the track, where a group of Challengers and professional SRT Experience instructors were waiting for them. First up -- drag racing.

The new Challenger is a willing partner on the drag strip -- the rear-drive car does an excellent job of maintaining grip, while its strong Brembo brakes make executing flat-out runs worry-free. Of course, when racing against an identical car, reaction time at launch is key -- so when the celebs went up against each other, most contests were basically over at the starting line. In identically-equipped Orange and Black models, Rob Lowe beat David Spade in a close race, while country star Brad Paisley bested Snoop by a slightly wider margin. Some reporters also got a chance to mash the pedal, and since the powerful muscle car is very easy to drive at high speeds, even the gossip mag writers did pretty well. Of course it helped that all the cars came with automatics -- Dodge won't offer a six-speed manual in the Challenger until the 2009 model year, but it will be available in both SRT8 and 5.7-liter R/T models.

Next came a lead/follow exercise, where Dodge let their guests loose on Willow Springs' road course to get a sense of the Challenger's handling. Led by pros piloting a variety of Vipers and SRT8 Charger sedans, the stars put the cars through their paces and racked up some impressive times. Following an instructor driving the line made it possible to get the most out of each run, and the Challenger hustled around the corners surprisingly well. Though its big steering wheel isn't ideal and in the curves the Challenger is certainly no Lotus Elise, its impressive grip always kept the car planted. And as many of the stars began to discover, any time lost on a turn could easily be recovered by just slamming your right foot on the straight-aways and letting the 425 horsepower Hemi open up.

After the stars had their fill of running Challengers on the track, Dodge invited everyone to the top of the hill at Willow Springs for a little drifting exhibition. Unfortunately, by then it was late afternoon and the desert heat had sapped people's energy, so only Lowe, Chace Crawford and Michelle Trachtenberg of the TV show Gossip Girl, and a few others managed to make the trip. But those who did won't soon forget the experience, as the SRT drivers let people ride along while they sent a series of SRT8 Chargers, Challengers, and a Viper flying sideways and spinning donuts. With its transmission in slap-shift manual mode, the Challenger had little trouble keeping up with its Viper cousin, and watching the orange Dodge slide recalled something out of the Dukes of Hazzard (though the General Lee was a Charger). First to brave a ride was Lowe, who proclaimed it "awesome," and it wasn't long before the place was full of tire smoke and screaming passengers.

As stories come out about declining sales, job cuts, and the steady march of gas prices toward $4 a gallon ($3.99 and counting), it's easy to feel like the sky is falling for the domestic car industry. But Dodge sold out its first-year production run of 6400 SRT8s before the first cars even reached dealers (many of the celebs at Willow Springs are getting Challengers, too) and the automaker is hoping the 2009 SRT8, R/T, and V-6 SE will do big things in the marketplace. There's no denying the car has presence -- nearly as long as a Charger but with just two huge doors, it practically dwarfs its rival Mustang. You definitely won't miss one coming down the street.

That said, at a time when many commuters are trying to stretch a few extra miles with the needle on empty, clearly a 4137-pound, V-8 coupe isn't for everyone. But as CAFE standards and consumer tastes force automakers to change, hopefully modern examples of American muscle will stick around for those who don't mind paying to run them. And even if you are the type who thinks they can't stop worrying about costs at the pump, try hopping in a Challenger SRT8, finding an open stretch of road, and letting its 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. of torque go to work -- you may find that forgetting is easier than you think.