Dodge has made some of the greatest cars in American history, they almost always have massive power and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat certainly lives up to all expectations. The Challenger picks up from where the original left off and just adds so much more. It's one of the most powerful cars ever produced in the US and is surprisingly cheap to buy.
The Hellcat was developed by Dodge's SRT team and became an instant hit, below are some of the more interesting facts and features people may have forgotten about the Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
10 Power Per Dollar
Power may not be everything when it comes to cars, some may look for comfort, style, fuel efficiency, or practicality. For those who are looking for power, however, the Challenger Hellcat may be the best option available by far.
With over 700 HP, the Challenger Hellcat is one of the most ridiculous muscle cars ever introduced and is also the most powerful car ever produced in America. Only a small handful of other production cars in the world deliver more power, The 2014 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, with around 730 HP, is available for around $220,000. That’s a lot more than the cost of a Hellcat, coming in at roughly $60,000 new.
9 Hellcat Engine Almost Never Happened
The Hellcat was given the first supercharged HEMI ever made by the Chrysler Group. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the V8 also has the highest power output of any engine the company has made. However, the engine almost never came to be. As a way of conserving funds, the idea for the V8 was turned down.
But finally, after months of persistent appeal, the SRT team finally had their wish granted, and the project was approved. Fortunately for Dodge, the publicity alone from the Hellcat helped their reputation as a performance brand grow massively.
8 Diamonds For Strength
Because the engine’s supercharger sucked in so much air for the engine, the crankshaft pulley required a strong anchor to remain intact. Steel washers just weren’t going to do the job. Rather, washers made from one of the most impervious substances known had to be used.
The need for durability is exactly what led to the use of diamonds in the Hellcat. Dodge was aiming to increase the longevity of their parts for the Hellcat and the safest bet for this was to use Diamond washers. This is a testament to just how powerful this car actually is.
7 New Development Process
Usually, the process for creating a higher-performance version of an already existing car doesn't really take all that much effort, all things considered. It's often a process of squeezing a little more power out of the engine and perhaps adding some better brakes and a few added extras to support the power increase. This wasn't the case for the Hellcat at all.
To make a car with such a large amount of power, Dodge had to come up with an entirely new vehicle-development process for the Hellcat’s design, build, and testing. Brand-new facilities were created with new labs. Dodge’s teams put in roughly 2 million customer-equivalent hours of testing to ensure that the HEMI would be able to perform long term.
6 Huge Demand
Dodge opened up pre-ordering for the Hellcat and within less than 2 months, over 5,000 Hellcats had already been claimed. The majority of those orders were directly from buyers, with the rest being dealers scrambling to make sure they would have Hellcats at the ready.
Many may have presumed the Hellcat was originally created as some sort of show of strength from Dodge, perhaps a way of showing just how much power they could put into a production car and that's all. However, the car quickly gained significant demand and was desired massively.
5 First Model Sold For Charity
For such an iconic show of engineering from Dodge, it was perhaps fitting for the first Hellcat to be sold at a charity auction to commemorate this huge achievement. The first production model sold for a staggering $1,650,000.
At a Las Vegas auction, Hellcat number one was purchased by Rick Hendrick for $825,000. The price was then matched by the Engelstad Family Foundation, and $1.65 million was donated to the Opportunity Village charity. Dodge even gave this Hellcat some one-of-a-kind touches. For example, it's the only Hellcat to ever have the Viper-exclusive Stryker Red finish applied by hand at the Dodge Viper plant.
4 Drag Car
For those looking for a car that performs as well on the drag strip as it does as a daily driver, this could be the car for you. It may not be too shocking, given the amount of power it has, to see the Hellcat as a drag car. However, its performance may still exceed all expectations.
As certified by the National Hot Rod Association, the Hellcat can run a quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds, even with its factory tires. With its V8 that delivers 707 HP and 650 lb-ft of torque, it is probably the most capable car in its price range.
3 Surprising Fuel Efficiency
Probably the most surprising fact on this entire list is the Hellcats average fuel consumption. It should also be noted however, the fuel consumption isn't going to be rivaling hybrids or hatchbacks, but is still impressive, all things considered.
The fuel-economy rating for the Hellcat comes in at 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. The highway mpg outperforms almost all expensive supercars including the Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin Vanquish, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT, which all average under 20 mpg. Considering the power output and low price, this isn't too bad at all.
2 Good Value
As mentioned earlier, the price of the Challenger Hellcat is around $60,000 (at the time of writing), and for this price, you get a lot of car for sure.
It may not be the most sophisticated car, especially in today's market, however, it has all the basic modern amenities someone may expect of a new car and of course, all of that power which is arguably the main selling point not to mention the surprisingly low fuel consumption.
1 Red & Black Key
One of the coolest, and perhaps most overlooked features of the Hellcat, is its inclusion of multiple keys. Some people may find that it's not always easy to live with and use a car with over 700 HP as a daily driver. Luckily Dodge planned ahead for this.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat actually comes with two keys — one red and one black. The red key unlocks the full 707 horsepower while the black key limits the driver to a reduced output of 500 horsepower. An interesting feature and this makes for a slightly easier daily commute one would assume.