Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
E = mc2. Anyone who has ever watched public television can recite this famous formula devined by Albert Einstein. It is seared into our brains, even if we don’t comprehend its full meaning.
What we know for certain is the equation quantifies something that previously seemed unquantifiable. And in that we find comfort because it appeals to humankind’s inherent compulsion to order the universe.
Now commit this to memory: 5.7L + 6MT.
It is the code for pure driving enjoyment. And it is revealed in the ’09 Dodge Challenger R/T.
In the muscle coupe’s mid-range trim, Chrysler marries two never-before-combined components – the new-generation 5.7L Hemi and the Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual transmission.
Churning together, their performance captures the basal elements of driving enjoyment. Responsive and exhilarating, the torque-rich V-8 and easy-shifting gearbox don’t just turn the Challenger into an extension of your right foot, they transform that appendage into a fearsome instrument of bona-fide butt-kicking.
Chrysler came close to this discovery with the limited-run ’08 Challenger SRT8. But its 5-speed automatic transmission seemed to choke the life from its monstrous 6.1L Hemi – despite the functionality afforded by the auto maker’s trademark Auto Stick shifter.
