MICKEY THOMPSON’S CHALLENGER IV
A Buggy Ahead Of Its Time
By SCORE Journal Staff
Photos by ICON Media
In the mid-1970s, buggy chassis with VW engines were popular in Baja racing. When Mickey Thompson set his eyes on not only owning and operating SCORE, but also winning races like the SCORE Baja 1000, he built the Challenger IV– a single-seat vehicle that changed the buggy design and pushed their potential to the next level. Taken from Thompson’s experience in Sprint Car racing, the Challenger IV had a 700 horsepower Chevrolet V8 for power. The suspension featured 41-inch long shocks with cooling fins and dual coilovers, giving the vehicle 18-inches of rear travel, and 15-inches of front travel. Although the Challenger IV lead many SCORE Baja 500 and Baja 1000 races, it would ultimately break before finishing. The current Challenger IV was restored by Rory Ward after he acquired it in 2011. SJ
The Challenger IV was the first buggy to use a powerful V8 engine that would later become the norm
