The Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye and the Corvette C8 are two of America's fastest cars ever, and they certainly offer a lot of bang for your buck with ludicrous performance and big V8 motors. These cars aren't proper rivals, however. One is a fast, sleek sports car, bordering on being a full-blown supercar, whilst the other is a full-fat traditional muscle car.
Both cars have 6.2-liter engines and both rock insane 0-60 times and both are heavily talked about in the car world. However, for slaughtering supercars which one is better? They both have the performance to do so and they both are far cheaper than even the "entry-level" supercars. Let's find out.
10 The Hellcat Redeye Is Better: The Power
The Hellcat Redeye absolutely mauls the C8 when it comes to power. In fact, it mauls most supercars as it pushes out a ridiculous figure of 797hp and 707 lb-ft of torque. That's more than a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, McLaren 765LT, Porsche GT2 RS, Ferrari F8, etc. It is stupidly powerful and in some ways too powerful.
The Corvette C8 has to make do with 490hp (495hp Z51 pack) and 465 lb-ft of torque (470 Z51 pack). The Hellcat Redeye is a car you don't want to play with especially when it's RWD too. This is just one of the reasons why you need to consider owning a Challenger Hellcat.
9 The Corvette C8 Is Better: The Handling
The new Corvette C8 eats the Hellcat Redeye in the bends. In fact, the new C8 is probably the best handling car that's made by any American car brand on sale today. It has had so many improvements to make it a menace in the corners, including better weight distribution thanks to its mid-engine layout, a stiffer body, and better suspension.
The Z51 pack makes things even better as the brakes are upgraded, a limited-slip differential is installed, and it gets better aerodynamics. The C8 is a serious car and GM says it's 19% stiffer than the previous C7. The handling is one of the reasons this car is one of the craziest cars of 2020.
8 The Hellcat Redeye Is Better: The Noise
The new C8 sounds great, but the Redeye is unbelievably loud. Its supercharger whine sounds crazy and the V8 grunt is just so aggressive. If you want a car to annoy the neighbors, then the Redeye is the one to get. It is such a shame Dodge doesn't offer a drop-top Hellcat as we could then enjoy that 6.2 liter Hemi V8 so much more.
No other cars really come close to the Hellcat Redeye when it comes to noise. Dodge should have never fitted the Hellcat Redeye with a radio, as it's simply not needed. That V8 soundtrack deserves a few Grammys, a Platinum Record, and a top Billboard spot. Here are a few things you didn't know about the new Hellcat Redeye.
7 The Corvette C8 Is Better: The Acceleration
Despite the new Redeye having way more power, the C8 remains faster. It's weird, isn't it? Especially in the strange world of FCA where they believe bigger displacements and more horsepower mean more speed. The new Corvette with its lower horsepower figures hits 60 in 2.8 seconds whilst the Redeye does it in around 3.4 seconds. That's a 0.6-second difference, which in the car world is a lot.
The new Corvette is one of the quickest cars off the line today. It is a very fast car, and it can easily outperform an Audi R8 in the sprint to 60 mph. That's a car that costs $100,000 more than the C8.
6 The Hellcat Redeye Is Better: The Looks
The Corvette C8 looks great. However, its rear wheels don't fit its arches at all and the exhaust tips look terrible. The Hellcat Redeye though, in widebody specification, looks perfect. It is aggressive, and it scares most drivers out of the way. It has a menacing front bumper with an air intake taking up one of the inlets of the headlight.
The Hellcat Redeye was one of the cars that practically saved FCA last decade, where prior to the Hellcat they sold mostly boring average cars... except the Viper. The Hellcat gave FCA their identity back, and now they're fitting that Hemi engine into everything they can get their hands on. The Hellcat is by far one of the best SRT cars ever.
5 The Corvette C8 Is Better: Refinement
Nowadays, many supercars have become a lot more refined. In fact, most cars have become much more refined, including the C8 corvette which has calmed down a lot over the last few years. It is a lot more driver-focused and the quality is so much better. The materials are better, the finish is better and the ride is more comfortable. The same cannot be said about the Redeye though.
The new C8 isn't some laughable built-on-a-budget sports car anymore. GM has really raised their standards, both in build quality and design. Every gearhead should own a Corvette and this may be the one to buy.
4 The Hellcat Redeye Is Better: The Fun Factor
Do 0-60 times, top speeds, etc really matter in the real world? This is where the feeling a car gives you takes priority and the Hellcat Redeye is just so fun. It was born to do burnouts, donuts, drifts, etc. It is an extremely antisocial car that doesn't care what others think at all.
You feel more powerful when driving a Hellcat Redeye. It is such an intimidating car that if it were human it would get a restraining order on society. The Hellcat Redeye wasn't made for lap times or any of that nerdy stuff. It was made for going around a corner in a cloud of tire smoke at 35 mph.
3 The Corvette C8 Is Better: The Price
The new Corvette C8 is actually a lot cheaper than the Hellcat Redeye. It starts at $59,995 which is a lot cheaper than the Hellcat Redeye which starts at $79,190. For that price, you could get a high spec Z51 C8 Corvette. The new Corvette is very good value for money then.
There are so many differences between the C7 and the C8, yet the new C8 isn't much more expensive than its front-engined predecessor. However, good luck finding a C8 Corvette at MSRP as these things are so short in supply but so high in demand that dealers have skyrocketed prices.
2 The Hellcat Redeye Is Better: Supercharger
The supercharger on the Hellcat Redeye is insane. It's a 2.7-liter unit, which is the largest factory production supercharger fitted to a car. It pushes 14.5 psi of boost which is why this car is stupidly fast. It whines real loud, and it looks deadly under the hood. The C8 is still naturally aspirated and even when it does get a supercharger in ZO6 and ZR1 form it still won't be as extreme as the Hellcat Redeye.
The supercharger used in the Redeye is larger than most engines. Do things get even crazier? At full throttle, this beast drinks 1.43 gallons of fuel a minute. You can see why environmentalists hate this car.
1 The Corvette C8 Is Better: It's Lighter
The Hellcat Redeye is a fast car and that's an issue as it weighs pretty much the same as a Bentley Continental. The C8 on the other hand weighs 1527 kg which is essentially 500kg less than the Hellcat Redeye. This makes all the difference in handling and acceleration as let's face it if the Hellcat Redeye was a bit lighter it would dominate the world.
The C8 Corvette isn't a super-light car, but it seems to work. It accelerates like a cheetah despite having less horsepower than the new M3 Competition. Weight is a huge factor in the supercar world, and it is essentially a secret weapon when manufacturers have exhausted all efforts on the engine.