Last Chance with the Last Call Edition Dodge Challenger 392 Shakedown

We are halfway through what is meant to be the last year of the gasoline-fed HEMI V8. A count down to the evitable change.

In 2022, Dodge announced a fistful of special edition Challenger and Charger models to celebrate the end of the HEMI in style with a series dubbed, the Last Call. One of special edition models to debut on this list of vividly painted Mopars is the 2023 Dodge Challenger 392 Shakedown—the first note in the eight-cylinder symphony swan song.

Unlike the others, the Challenger 392 Shakedown doesn’t wear a saturated shade of color to amplify its supercharged exhaust note. Instead, it goes back to its roots as a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter HEMI V8 breathing through a functional Shaker hood and kept locked in its cage using retro hood pins.

It is not the fastest variant of the Challenger, but it is the closest thing to a traditional muscle car rolling off an assembly line in 2023 with a factory warranty.

What you get with the Last Call Shakedown Package

The Shakedown Last Call edition starts out in life as an R/T Scat Pack. Starting with a shade of deep space black with exclusive hood graphics, red 392 badging, matte black rear lip spoiler, and a set of 20-inch carbon black wrap speed wheels wrapped in Pirelli all-season performance tires 305/35ZR20 with six-piston Brembo brakes peeking behind them. The iconic matte black Shaker hood crowns the 6.4-liter 485 horsepower HEMI V8.

Inside, you’ll find carbon/suede bucket seats with monochrome rumble bee graphics embroidered into the seats, matched with contrasting red seat belts. A Harmon Kardon sound system with a subwoofer in the trunk ensures songs like Deep Purple’s Highway Star and the guitar solo from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird engulf the cabin in a rich, throttle-stomping temptating melody.

Production numbers on the limited-edition Dodge Challenger Shakedown Last Call is 1,000, with 500 being widebody variants like the one shown.

A Ferris Bueller Day Off Grand Tour with the Challenger 392 Shakedown

Getting the chance to sit behind the wheel of a Last Call Edition Challenger was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. I was allowed one whole day with the Shakedown, meaning I had to savor every mile like a last meal on death row.

Having driven one of the last stock Challenger SRT Hellcats a few weeks prior, I wanted to see how its naturally-aspirated sibling would differ in personality. Given the limited seat time, I knew the only way I would get my time’s worth was to drive it – a lot.

That day, I had no job, no emails waiting for a response, or social plans. Everything took a back seat as I gave the Challenger 392 Shakedown my full undivided attention. Armed with a full tank of gas and a heart a full of free will, I ignored the responsibilities of life and went on a Ferris Bueller Day Off grand tour in the midnight-coated Mopar.

Blue Bonnets and Black Angus on Willow City Loop

Not wanting to waste any time on the super slabs surrounding San Antonio, Texas, I drove out of the city in search of scenic routes. I ended up at the locally known Willow City Loop, a public road stretching 13 miles through private lands.

This route takes you through multiple signs warning you of free-roaming cows and private driveways to ranches larger than your neighborhood. However, what draws locals and visitors to the Willow City Loop is the chance to cruise by fields of Texas BlueBonnets and other wildflowers when they are in full bloom in the Spring.

On that day the weather was cloudy and the ground was moisturized with light drizzling rain. The Challenger Shakedown’s mirror-finish black paint stood out like an Angus steer in contrast to the water-soaked greenery and vibrant blue wildflowers. Hidden away from the roar of interstate traffic. The tranquil soundtrack of light rain landing on raw earth, glass, and painted metal made it easy to ignore work-related emails.

Up All Night with the Challenger Shakedown

A full day of driving wasn’t enough to satisfy my hunger for mo-power.

I lay in bed, wide awake, unable to rest, knowing that parked downstairs was a prime example of something unique to this era of motoring history. With no time like the present, I slipped my flannel pajamas over my cowboy boots and reached for the key fob.

That night, the streets were damp and shiny from recent rainfall, and the air chilled by a steady breeze. In a city as large as San Antonio, it’s rare to find breaks from traffic. However, if you’re looking for pavement isolation, 4 am is the magic hour. The time of night when the graveyard shifts are at work, the drunks are home or sleeping it off in jail, and everyone else is asleep or wishing they were.

Staring over the bulging shaker hood at the empty road illuminated under the amber, sometimes purple, glow of streetlights. I couldn’t help but smile, relishing the moment granted to me, prowling the streets in a limited-edition muscle car, taking mental snapshots of the sound, the mood, the lack of lighting, and the feeling of freedom to roam and having the torque to defend it.

Every stop light became a shining opportunity to paint the town red with a set of tire marks. Not looking for a quarter-mile fight, just enjoying the night with only the next mile in sight. The Challenger 392 Shakedown is a night owl ready to chase the sunrise.

A Lasting Impression

Whether you love or hate these cars, one thing they’ve consistently thrived at is leaving a lasting impression.

One thing I appreciate about the 6.4-liter HEMI compared to its 6.2 supercharged Hellcat is how it delivers the same thrills without the added temptation. There’s no little red devil whispering supercharger noises in your ears. Yet when you open the throttle, the mix of shock and adrenaline is like comparing classic coke to coke zero.

Plus, the R/T and Scat Pack variants offer cylinder deactivation, which helps boost fuel economy. During my brief but memorable drive, I averaged 18 mpg in the 2023 Dodge Challenger Shakedown.

There’s a dark side to these cars. The fan base is not exactly subtle or quiet. There are concerns about how easy they are to steal and are often the main character in street takeovers and police pursuits. But don’t blame the car for people’s mistakes.

The Dodge Challenger is one of the last analog production muscle cars, and after 2023 it will be one of many examples for aging Gen X and millennials to point at and say, “They don’t build ’em like that anymore.”