The Dodge Challenger Black Ghost Honors a Woodward Hero

The sixth and penultimate special edition Last Call model from Dodge has just arrived, paying homage to one of the Motor City’s most iconic Mopars in the process. Known as the Dodge Challenger Black Ghost Edition, this tweaked Redeye carries the torch of the 1970 Challenger that originally earned that moniker through its utter domination of Woodward Avenue.

Long-time Detroit residents and Mopar fans alike are surely familiar with the original Black Ghost. The black 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T was campaigned all along Woodward Avenue by owner Godfrey Qualls during the street racing days of the 1970s. According to Jalopnik, Qualls was a former Green Beret who received a Purple Heart during his time in the Dominican Republic, and went on to serve in the Detroit Police Department for nearly four decades after his military career. In the Motor City, not even the police department could escape from the muscle car era madness. The car and driver combo proved difficult to beat out on the street, bolstered by the legendary 426 cubic-inch Hemi V-8 found under its hood. Qualls penchant for crushing the competition before slinking away unseen in his dark-colored muscle car served to make the duo a famous pairing around these parts, earning the Black Ghost name in the process. The Black Ghost was even added to the National Historic Vehicle Register back in 2020, graduating from a mere Motown legend.

The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost edition is based on the Hellcat Redeye Widebody trim, which brings a familiar supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Instead of the standard 797 hp output provided by the Redeye powertrain, the Black Ghost edition sees that output figure bumped up to a Jailbreak-matching 807 hp. Unsurprisingly, every example of the special edition will be sold in the automaker’s Pitch Black hue. In order to make the car look more like the 1970s icon, Dodge has also installed a rather interesting graphics package. More specifically, the Black Ghost models will receive a “gator skin” vinyl graphic on the roof, as well as brighter silver accents all around the car. The instrument panel badging also mirrors the pattern from the roof, and features Dodge’s new Fratzog logo. Like all 2023 Dodge Challenger and Charger models, the Black Ghost will sport a somber “Last Call” underhood plaque. Only 300 examples of the Black Ghost special edition are slated for production.