The 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8’s transformation from meek to magnificent began just like all good muscle car stories do, with the SRT team’s decision to stuff the biggest honkin’ V8 engine possible under the hood.

In this case it’s the automaker’s already potent 5.7-liter Hemi, which gets a thorough going-over starting with a 3.5-millimeter larger cylinder bore that bumps displacement up to 6.1 liters. The compression ratio goes from 9.6-to-1 to 10.3-to-1, while redesigned camshafts, high-flow cylinder heads, larger sodium-filled valves, and reworked intake and exhaust plumbing make for better breathing. The result is an impressive 85-horsepower jump to a total of 425 ponies and 430 lb.-ft. of torque which, on a power-per-liter of displacement basis, makes it more potent than the legendary Hemi engines of the 1960s. For a touch of nostalgia, the motor is also treated to an orange-painted engine block and black valve covers.

All that power is routed to the rear wheels through a five-speed AutoStick automatic transmission which has been massaged to deliver quicker shifts as you manually run through the gears. Completing the drivetrain upgrades are a stouter driveshaft, differential, and axles designed to handle all the punishment the massaged motor can dish out.

Because one of the goals was to create a muscle car that did more than just go fast in a straight line, the Charger SRT-8’s suspension received an equally thorough makeover. Ride height has been lowered by a half-inch, while specially-tuned shocks, springs, bushings, and larger diameter sway bars have been bolted in to help the Charger SRT-8 put in a more well-rounded handling performance when the road gets interesting.

Handsome 20-inch alloy wheels wear wide Goodyear Supercar F1 tires. Like other SRT projects, the Charger SRT-8 sports bright red, four-piston Brembo brake calipers with humongous 14.2-inch vented discs up front and 13.8-inch vented discs in the rear.

Leaving no performance-oriented stone unturned, the electronic stability control has also been specially tweaked for this application. There are now three separate positions: fully-on, partially-off with fail-safe intervention available at the limits of directional stability, and fully-off which also dials up both increased throttle response and a more aggressive shift program from the transmission.