FCA warms up for performance-car sales season, packing New York International Auto Show goodie bag with special-edition Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Fiat 124 Spider

By Bill Hayward

April might be the cruelest month if you’re a poet, but for car guys and gals it’s the time of year when the enthusiast’s fancy turns to the likes of high-horsepower muscle cars and topless roadsters.

FCA is ready to tickle those fancies with three special-edition debuts at the New York International Auto Show (April 19-28 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center): Stars & Stripes editions of the 2019 Dodge Charger and 2019 Dodge Challenger, and an Urbana edition of the 2019 Fiat 124 Spider.

Dodge Stars & Stripes Charger, Challenger editions salute active military, veterans

The Stars & Stripes editions, available for Charger and Challenger at the R/T and Scat Pack trim levels in option packages that include HEMI V8 engines delivering up to 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque, were designed to celebrate the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, according to FCA.

At the Challenger or Charger GT level, the Stars & Stripes edition is powered by the Pentastar V6 engine, which produces 300 horsepower and 264 lb.-ft. of torque for the Charger and 305 horsepower and 268 lb.-ft. of torque for the Challenger

All of the Stars & Stripes editions have naturally aspirated engines in front-engine/rear-drive powertrain configurations. Manual transmission is an option with the HEMI V8s only.

Military styling cues are integrated into appearance packages specific to the Stars & Stripes edition, including American flag decals on the fenders, embroidered bronze stars on the seats, and various accents in edition-specific paint schemes based on nine available exterior colors: Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Granite Crystal, IndiGo Blue, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Triple Nickel and White Knuckle.

“Dodge is known for delivering custom looks straight from the factory. We also have a strong following of buyers who are in the military, as well as many buyers who are patriotic,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Passenger Car Brands, FCA—North America. “The Stars & Stripes Edition is an opportunity to deliver a custom look with unique elements that speak to those performance enthusiasts who want to extend their passion for their country to the Charger and Challenger.”  

FCA is also backing up their salute to the armed forces with discounts in the form of up to $500 in “military bonus cash” available to active military, active military reserve, retired military, retired military reserve or honorably discharged veterans within 12 months of discharged date.

The Stars & Stripes Edition package is a $1,995 add-on to the Challenger R/T Scat Pack, the Dodge Charger Scat Pack, the Challenger and Charger R/T, and the Charger and Challenger GT RWD.

At the highest of these trim levels—the Dodge Challenger  R/T Scat Pack and the Dodge Charger Scat Pack—the starting price is less than $40,000 according to FCA’s press release, offering what the automaker characterizes as “the most muscle for the dollar.”

Fiat 124 Spider Urbana edition offers classic Euro-roadster styling

If you can more readily picture yourself surrounded by the sensuous curves of a refined roadster than by the stark angularity and raw power of a muscle-car with a HEMI roaring under the hood, then maybe the 2019 Fiat 124 Spider Urbana Edition is more your speed.

The 2019 Fiat 124 Spider is the latest iteration of the sports car affectionately nicknamed the “Fiata” by many car enthusiasts, alluding to its manufacture in a Mazda plant in Japan on the bones of the Mazda MX-5 Miata.


But the Fiat 124 Spider is finished with styling cues from a more understated, Italianate sports car heritage. This stands in contrast with the more lithe, sleek lines of the current Miata, an expression of Mazda’s evolving “KODO” design language, which is situated in a more distinctly Japanese—and arguably more modern—aesthetic context.

Distinguishing features of the Urbana edition of the Fiat 124 Spider include piano black painted exterior elements and matte gray interior accents.

“With the most powerful four-cylinder turbo engine in its class, our Italian-designed Fiat 124 Spider offers an authentic top-down roadster experience with fun-to-drive dynamics,” Beahm said. The Fiat 124 Spider Urbana Edition is available for $995 on 2019 124 Spider Classica models, which start at a U.S. MSRP of $25,190.

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