Throwback: Fante\’s Coffee and Cars

Dodge Challenger R/T 392 Scat Pack Widebody

One of a handful of rides parked near the shop, this big boy proudly represented American muscle. Introduced in 2017 for the 2018 model year, the widebody version of the Challenger featured a 3.5-inch wider track front and rear; thus, improving cornering and stopping.

This example, the R/T 392 Scat Pack Widebody, packs a 6.4-liter version of the Hemi V8, delivering 485 horses and 475 lb-ft of torque to the rear through either a six-speed manual or, more likely than not, an eight-speed automatic. While there are more powerful Challengers around, this owner can use most of this Challenger\’s fire-breathing horses on the open road.

Mercedes-Benz 380 SL (x2)

There\’s nothing like a classic Mercedes roadster. Here\’s a pair of them, representing the long-running R107-era SL-Class roadster from 1971 through 1989. The 1981-1985 380 SL came with a 3.8-liter V8, producing just 155 horses and 196 lb-ft of torque to the rear through either a three- or four-speed automatic.

The R107 also found itself in a starring role for another long-runner. In 1978, CBS introduced the world to the Ewings through its primetime soap opera, Dallas. As befitting the oil-rich Texas family, Bobby Ewing rolled through Dallas in a Signal Red 450 SL, while his older brother, J.R., preferred the power and presence of the 450 SEL, the flagship sedan of Mercedes back then.

Ferrari 308 GTS

From one nighttime CBS hit to another, here we have the ride of one Thomas Sullivan Magnum III (though it actually belonged to his boss, the never-seen Robin Masters). The 1975 through 1985 Ferrari 308 was just as big a star as Tom Selleck during the eight seasons of the original Magnum, P.I., with the red-on-tan model being the car everyone thinks of when asked about classic Ferraris.

Behind the classic, a 2.9-liter V8 aided Magnum in his cases all over Oahu, providing a little over 200 horses to get the job done. That doesn\’t sound like a lot now, but it was the bee\’s knees in the fading days of the Malaise Era in the Eighties.