Celebrating something old with something new

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This article was published 05/08/2022 (1299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shelley Baglin has always been a fan of classic muscle cars and had ambitions of owning a first-generation Dodge Challenger ever since she was a child.

Financial restrictions always prevented that dream from becoming a reality, but that all changed seven years ago when the Brandon resident was watching TV and came across a preview for the 2015 Dodge Challenger Classic R/T.

“And right away I fell in love,” Baglin told the Sun on Wednesday, explaining how the body of this model was significantly different from the third-generation Challengers that came before it.

“Because they actually put on the split tail lights and the split grill in the front, which is more true to the classic [models]. And because of the body styling, it looks like a 1970-71 Dodge Challenger.”

Even though she was partially attracted to the 2015 Challenger because of its affordability, with payment plans for classic models being hard to obtain, Baglin does not view this newer muscle car as a consolation prize.

In fact, she said the modern vehicle has given her plenty of opportunities to tinker and show off her work at local car shows, which is all you really need to become an active member of a local car community, in her eyes.

“It’s about the personal touches and modifications and how you take care of the car,” Baglin said, dismissing the idea that the only real vehicles of value in this environment are those that qualify for collector car licence plates.

Despite not possessing any formal training as a mechanic, Baglin picked up a lot of tips and tricks on automotive repair growing up with her father, who ingrained in her an eagerness to learn that still persists to this day.

So even after buying a brand-new 2015 Challenger right off the lot, Baglin wasn’t content with just leaving it untouched, and went to work making the car look and sound as mean as possible.

This meant spending a lot of time under the hood, swapping out parts like the mid exhaust for a performance muffler and installing intake rings to increase air flow.

In terms of aesthetic changes, Baglin also made sure to add plenty of personal touches, decorating the exterior with hood pins and stickers, and covering the inside with carbon fibre accents.

She even went as far as to paint the 5.7-litre V8 engine, and some other surrounding machinery, to match the Challenger’s red-and-black colour scheme.

After putting in all this work, Baglin’s first major showcase for her Challenger was the 2019 Super Run, at the Keystone Centre grounds.

That event marked the first time more modern vehicles were allowed to register for the Super Run, which had been an exclusively classic car show since its inception in Brandon.

Even though the massive automotive showcase was a great time overall, Baglin recalled encountering dismissive comments from some attendees who she said believed that a four-year-old car had no place among more vintage models.

While Baglin had encountered some of those unsolicited opinions before, it was still disappointing to hear at such a major venue, especially when paired with the more sexist comments she has heard in the past.

“Because there’s still that attitude that a lot of women don’t know anything about cars,” she said. “But I can change oil, I can change a tire … I’ve pulled batteries out, put new ones back in, changed spark plugs, all that stuff.”

Luckily, Baglin has noticed that those attitudes about newer cars and women gear heads are changing, with the local car community growing more inclusive over a very short period of time.

The cultural shift could even be seen during this year’s Super Run event that took place just outside of Brandon last weekend. Organizers went out of their way to recruit motorcycle riders and modern import car owners to take part.

Coming off the heels of this three-day affair, Baglin is feeling optimistic about the future of the Westman car community and has even more plans to modify her 2015 Challenger, hoping to make it the ultimate tribute to those classic muscle cars she grew up loving.

“So it’s a work in progress, basically, but I’ll get there one day.”

And for anyone who is intimidated about showing off their automotive project in public, fearing backlash from more close-minded members of the community, Baglin’s advice is to simply embrace what you like, unapologetically.

“If it’s your dream, do it. It’s all about what pleases you, not what pleases everybody else,” she said. “It’s your own personal expression.”

The Dodge Challenger’s production history can be split into three distinct eras — its first generation (1970-74), second generation (1978-83) and third generation (2008 to present).

However, Dodge chief executive officer Tim Kuniskis confirmed last November that 2023 will be the final model year for both the Challenger and the Charger, as the company is increasingly focusing on producing electric vehicles rather than gas-powered automobiles.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson