GIVE 'EM AN INCH; With Challenger and Imperial concepts, Chrysler shows versatility of rear-drive 300C chassis.(News)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

Get out your ruler and mark off seven inches.

Technically, that's the total distance, measured in wheelbase, separating the beefy muscle car image of the Dodge Challenger concept from the highbrow extravagance of the Chrysler Imperial concept. In reality the two Chrysler 300-based concepts on the company's stand at the North American International Auto Show couldn't be farther apart if one was the moon and the other the stars.

The lead pony is the Challenger, the Hemi-powered beast of a four-seat coupe for which we've all been screaming since the awkward silence that greeted the debut of the highly anticipated Charger as a four-door sedan. With a nod to Paul Harvey, with Challenger, now we know the rest of the story.

In concept guise Challenger's wheelbase is chopped by four inches (to 116 inches) compared to a Charger or 300C. But with an eye trained closely on proper proportion, exterior designer Micheal Castiglione of Chrysler's Pacifica studio in California kept the length in check. Compared to the original 1970 Challenger-the styling inspiration for the new car-the concept is six inches shorter and two inches wider. The result is squat and tough, the kind of styling for which Challenger is remembered.

"Instead of merely re-creating that [1970] car, the designers endeavored to build a Challenger most people see in their mind's eye-a vehicle without the imperfections like the old car's tucked-under wheels, long front overhang and imperfect fits," says Tom Tremont, vice president of advanced vehicle design for Chrysler.

Says Castiglione of the 1970 model, "For me that car symbolizes the most passionate era of automotive design. We wanted the concept car to evoke all those sweet memories... everything you thought the Challenger was, and more."