Following four months of headhunting and several harsh rounds of testing, Preston Patterson has been officially proclaimed the Ambassador of Dodge and Chief Donut Maker – although keep in mind that those are drift donuts.
The final competition between the short-listed participants took place on a racing ground, where Preston, from Charlotte, N.C., opposed Lauren, from Las Vegas. Both had to pilot a Dodge Challenger Hellcat to the best of their abilities and pass a difficult quiz. The driving and the quiz sessions alternated between each other, with no time to prepare and think.
The participants passed a special course in the Radford Driving School before their elimination exam. During the exam, they showed their skills at changing lanes rapidly upon command, stay in control of the car in narrow corridors, and burn the rear tires, of course.
Dodge said it received applications from a total of 173,500 applicants. The leader was finally crowned on April 26. The date, 4/26, referenced the displacement volume of the V8 Hemi engine expressed in cubic inches (426ci).
Aside from his funny-sounding title. Patterson received a $150,000 job contract, the Brand Ambassador status for the next few years, and an opportunity to look into the various electrification scenarios the muscle car manufacturer is considering at this time. According to Dodge, the company wants to find out what its devout fans think about the best way to go electric.