Dodge Challenger Stolen, Crashed, Yet Still Made It To SEMA

When a 1000-horsepower, custom-built muscle car is stolen, you don’t really expect to ever see it again. This modified Dodge Challenger’s theft tale has a different ending, though. This car was stolen and involved in a hit-and-run incident with the Nevada Highway Patrol, but it still made it to its display at SEMA.

The Challenger, built for SEMA by Quintin Brothers Auto and Performance in Vermont, was stolen last week from an overflow parking lot at a casino close to the display hall, per local media reports. After police tracked it to a parking garage hours later, the cornered driver rammed it into a police car and fled the scene.

According to the Quintin Brothers’ Facebook page, the driver then crashed through a fence and onto a nearby karting track during an event. Eventually, the car was abandoned and recovered without the driver. He managed to escape the scene, only to be apprehended on November 5 after allegedly shooting someone outside of a local grocery store, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

With all of that having happened in the last week, it’d be understandable for the Quintin Brothers to cancel their SEMA display. But after all the coverage the story has received, the shop brought the damaged car to the ProCharger booth at SEMA anyway.

The story is now a central part of the display, which features a link to a full write-up and even welcomed Nevada State Trooper Adam Whitmarsh to the show. He’s the officer whose patrol car was hit by the Challenger days ago. The car is still in disrepair, wrapped in police tape, and filled with garbage discarded by the thief.

From: Road & Track