Forza Motorsport – the 8th edition of the popular racing simulator for Xbox systems – formally came to market on October 10th (or the 5th for buyers of the game’s Premium version) and among the 500+ vehicles available so far are 17 Dodge products, 2 Plymouth vehicles, 1 Eagle and 1 Chrysler Charger. Of those 21 Mopar vehicles, 20 of them are returning from past games, but there is one Dodge Challenger that is new to the Forza series. You might expect that it is the 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170, but that 1,025-horsepower muscle car has not yet made an appearance in the game.
The newest Dodge/Mopar product to hit the world of Forza Motorsport is the “2019 Dodge #9 American V8 Road Racing TA Challenger”. For those of you who follow Trans Am racing, this Challenger is the race car owned and piloted by Jeff Hinkle, which in Forza form carries the general appearance of the Challenger SRT Hellcat. The car comes painted light gray with blue and red trim, but thanks to Forza’s unrivaled customization system, I made it look a little more like my own 2017 Challenger SRT Hellcat.
In standard form, Hinkle’s Dodge Challenger Trans Am race car is an R class car with a Performance Index of 898. It is powered by a 5.8-liter V8 that delivers 855 horsepower and 580 lb-ft of torque, with a curb weight of just 2,912 pounds, leading to a speed rating of 5.4, a braking rating of 7.2, a handling rating of 7.3 and an acceleration rating of 7.0. It is priced at 332,000 credits. A 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat costs 101,000 credits, for reference.
There is really no racing class specifically for the 2019 Dodge #9 American V8 Road Racing TA Challenger, but in online play, you can use this car in the GT Spec class of the Featured Multiplayer menu. The game will force a unique specification which lowers the overall performance index to 830, but it is a remarkably competitive vehicle against the field of LeMans-style racers. For those wondering, that 830 PI rating comes with a horsepower output of 590,a torque output of 400 and a bit of ballast, so the power-to-weight ratio is way down to lower the PI, but the car still handles beautifully with its perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
As you can see, the lowered power has a huge impact on speed and acceleration ratings, but the car is still very competitive in the GT Spec class. I have been able to qualify at the front of a full field in the GT Spec class and I have won a race against a lineup of LeMans cars, so the car is clearly competitive against the race-ready supercars. Of course, if you like the GT Spec class and you don’t want to be the oddball in a muscle car, the SRT Motorsports #93 Viper GTS-R is also available.
While I am still hoping to see more Mopars on Forza Motorsport as more and more cars are introduced in the coming months, the 2019 Dodge #9 American V8 Road Racing TA Challenger is a great addition for those of us who like to race online with Mopar performance.
The other Mopar vehicles included in Forza Motorsport right now are listed below.
Dodge:
2019 Dodge #9 American V8 Road Racing TA Challenger
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
2016 Dodge Viper ACR
2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
2014 Dodge #93 SRT Motorsport Viper GTS-R
2013 Dodge SRT Viper GTS
2013 Dodge Dart GT
2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8
2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR
2005 Dodge SRT-4 ACR
1990 Dodge Viper GTS ACR
1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo
1986 Dodge Shelby Omni GLHS
1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona HEMI
1969 Dodge Charger R/T
Plymouth:
1971 Plymouth Cuda 426 HEMI
1971 Plymouth GTX 426 HEMI
Chrysler:
1972 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E49
Eagle:
1998 Eagle Talon TSi Turbo
