{"id":76061,"date":"2024-01-28T08:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T13:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=76061"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:19:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:19:17","slug":"meet-goldfinger-a-retromod-charger-from-exomod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/owners-clubs\/2024\/01\/meet-goldfinger-a-retromod-charger-from-exomod.html","title":{"rendered":"Meet Goldfinger – A ‘Retromod’ Charger From Exomod!\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re a fan of James Bond movies, then you\u2019ll probably agree that 1964’s Goldfinger<\/em> is probably the best 007 flick ever. Sure, it\u2019s a bit dated, but it still stands up very well in the 21st century, which has filmmakers using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to keep the audience from staring at their cell phones. From its cast of memorable villains and unforgettable female cohorts to the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps and luscious green pastures of Kentucky horse farms, Goldfinger <\/em>has become a cult classic. Both old and young movie fans alike love this flick. And let\u2019s not forget that super-sexy and tricked-out Aston Martin DB5 James Bond drives to its ultimate demise. Like the movie, the second-generation Dodge Charger has also stood up to the test time. Its timeless styling was ahead of the curve for 1968 and still looks great in 2024. It\u2019s kind of hard to improve the looks of this American Pop Culture icon who was also a big screen star stalking Steve McQueen all over the streets of San Francisco in the hit movie Bullitt<\/strong><\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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For premier custom car shop eXoMod,<\/a> <\/strong>their four-wheel creations are also pure American Pop Culture. Their designers have reimagined the iconic GEN II (1968-1970) Dodge Charger for discriminating global customers. And they’re under the guidance of 53-year-old self-admitted “Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> Obsessive” enthusiast Rick Katzeff, eXoMod\u2019s CEO. He makes sure the O.E. Concourse Gold Level Restoration shop stays on track in creating over-the-top restorations and retromod builds. For over two years, Rick\u2019s team of designers and craftsmen have garnered numerous prestigious awards at major automotive shows and events in the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN)<\/a> and one of Barrett-Jackson’s TOP 50 BUILDERS of 2023<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cMy passion for Mopar Muscle began at a very young age when I spotted my first 1971 Plymouth Satellite hot rod that my next-door neighbor used to wrench on in the driveway. I\u2019ll never forget when they brought home a big block 440 from a junkyard that was pulled from a sedan and replaced the tired 318 that was in the Satellite. That Mopar B-Body sure did come to life after that engine swap,\u201d recalled Rick. \u201cI created eXoMod to reimagine Mopar muscle cars<\/a> with bespoke carbon fiber body panels fitted onto a modern Challenger platform. My inspiration was to create a more cutting-edge Retromod that performs like a modern car. I want my company\u2019s creations to be safe, reliable and fun to drive while combining modern technology with classic old-school styling and looks. I feel retromod with modern drivetrains is definitely the wave of the future. Nobody wants 50-year-old technology anymore. What we do is miles ahead of a typical retromod since we use new car technology as the platform. Our team of passionate members, including Scott Gregg and his devoted family, put their heart and soul into every one of our builds.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Like any inspirational dream and vision, it takes a lot of work to achieve your goals. Rick and his team were up to the challenge in taking the retromod movement up a notch. \u201cThere\u2019s over 3,000 hours invested into creating the first prototype and carbon fiber molds. We concluded the modern Challenger (2008-2023) has almost the same wheelbase as the 1968-1970 Dodge Charger. We located a donor chassis, a Hellcat Challenger, and the proportions of the finished product looked spot on,\u201d said Rick. As with many of his teams\u2019 creations, they sometimes get sold at major auto auctions like Mecum or Barrett-Jackson. \u201cThere\u2019s no sadness at all seeing some of them going across the block at the Vegas Mecum auction, it\u2019s the natural evolution of a low-production builder. But we have two other cars completed that were also featured at SEMA. Those, along with the two additional C68 CARBON models we have going through the build process, are keeping us busy,\u201d noted Rick.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Regarding the “GOLDFINGER” \u201968 Charger, it\u2019s a serious machine that should not be taken lightly. It has all the street manners to be driven daily but can easily put the hurt on many machines that want to take it on. Along that sinister-looking black paint with contracting bronze bumble bee stripes, the interior on “GOLDFINGER” would suit a tuxedo-wearing James Bond as he strides up to the bar and orders his trademark Martini Vodka, shaken, not stirred. The fabric on the high-back leather seats rival the furniture at world\u2019s best exotic and private clubs 007 would frequent. Under the hood of “GOLDFINGER”, it packs a punch with 6.2L supercharged HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> engine pumping out almost 800 horsepower. Rick\u2019s team chose to back it up with the tried-and-true TorqueFlite\u00ae 8\u2013Speed Automatic Transmission with Paddle Shifters. To make sure you don\u2019t run past your headlights, a 200 MPH Redeye Spec Speedometer lets you know how bad you\u2019re breaking the law. <\/p>\n\n\n

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eXoMod\u2019s “GOLDFINGER” was a commissioned build, and the current owner lives in North Carolina and is enjoying the bending corners on those hilly country roads. With the car rolling on Forgeline wheels and Brembo\u00ae 6-piston front caliper brakes with All\u2013Speed Traction Control, this ride is wheel planted. That\u2019s why many owners are more likely to drive these machines. While the car community has called these things “restomods” since this movement began almost 20 years ago, Rick was quick to educate us. \u201cWe like to refer to these vehicles as ‘retromods’,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe reimagined what these cars could be with 21st-century technology and classic styling with a modern interpretation. I think retromods are definitely the wave of the future. Nobody wants 50-plus-year-old technology anymore. What we do is miles ahead of your typical restomod build since we use new car technology throughout the whole platform. We\u2019re not sticking a modern engine into an old car, as the platform. We start with a real Charger body then 3D scan all the sheet metal and create new tooling and \u2018bucks\u2019 to make new molds for carbon fiber body panels, so we feel \u2018retromod\u2019 better applies to these cars.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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When we asked Rick about his long-term plans for eXoMod, he wants to expand the company to do other retromods build for customers. \u201cWe\u2019d like to do a 1971-72 Dodge Demon and create a modern version of that car,\u201d smiled Rick. But for now, eXoMod\u2019s line of C68 Carbon Chargers, including a modern version of the iconic 1969 Daytona that made its debut at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN),<\/a> have been shaking up the collector car\/enthusiast community. All we can say is we\u2019ll always be amazed at the machinery Rick and his band of craftsmen turn out within the walls of eXoMod\u2019s shop in Pennsylvania. <\/p>\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re a fan of James Bond movies, then you\u2019ll probably agree that 1964’s Goldfinger is probably the best 007 flick ever. Sure, it\u2019s a bit dated, but it still stands up very well in the 21st century, which has filmmakers using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to keep the audience from staring at their cell phones. From its cast of memorable villains and unforgettable female cohorts to the stunning scenery of the Swiss Alps and luscious green pastures of Kentucky horse farms, Goldfinger has become a cult classic. Both old and young movie fans alike […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":76069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2624],"tags":[519,2948,561],"class_list":["post-76061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owners-clubs","tag-charger","tag-dodge-classics","tag-restomod"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Goldfinger_Feature.jpg","social_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Goldfinger_Social.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76061"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77779,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76061\/revisions\/77779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}