Automotive

Dodge claims 707-hp Challenger SRT Hellcat is the "most powerful muscle car ever"

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The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has 707 hp and 650 lb-ft on tap
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has 707 hp and 650 lb-ft on tap
Dodge blends heritage and modern cues in the Challenger interior
The 2015 Challenger SRT models will go on sale later this year
The Challenger Hellcat packs an 8.4-in Uconnect infotainment system
Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
The 7-in digital display is flanked by analog gauges
The Hellcat's fixed gauges and digital graphics are finished in "Dark Radar Red"
The Challenger SRT puts up to 707 hp at the driver's foot
The Challenger SRT with Hellcat engine is the flagship Dodge muscle car
A sinister scene
Dodge has yet to release pricing information on the 707-hp Hellcat
The Challenger SRT Hellcat comes with two key fobs, each offering different performance levels
The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
With its 707 hp, the Hellcat is not only more powerful than Ford and Chevy muscle cars, it's more powerful than Viper and Corvette models
The 6.2-liter engine is the first V8 unit to get the Dodge/SRT supercharger treatment
The 6.2-liter engine is the first V8 unit to get the Dodge/SRT supercharger treatment
SRT was recently rolled into Dodge to create a performance-focused brand with rich heritage
2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat and SRT
2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat and SRT
2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat and SRT
A look under the hood of the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
The SRT Challenger models have a power-bulge aluminum hood to save weight
View gallery - 25 images

Sometimes overshadowed by the muscle car war between the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger is another legacy car with history stretching back toward the heyday of American muscle. The all-new 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat adds an exciting new chapter to that history, hitting the highways as Dodge's most powerful muscle car ever.

We're not sure that we can accept Dodge's unrestricted claim of most powerful muscle car ever without some type of "factory produced" qualifier, what with 952-hp Shelby Mustangs roaming the Earth, but a 707-hp Challenger is an exciting development nonetheless. The 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 powering the car is the most powerful Dodge V8 ever and the first HEMI to make use of a factory-installed supercharger.

Dodge first revealed the 2015 Challenger SRT and SRT Hellcat in May. At the time, it said that the Hellcat would carry its most powerful V8 ever, but it limited its horsepower estimate to "600 plus." The 707 makes for a big dose of "plus," pushing the Hellcat right over the 640-hp Viper V10 and even the Viper GT3-R race car (680 hp). While it's not quite as powerful as special packages like the aforementioned Mustang 1000 and the GT500 Super Snake by Shelby, it easily bests the 662-hp Mustang Shelby GT500 and 580-hp Camaro ZL1 flagships offered directly from Ford and Chevy.

The 6.2-liter engine is the first V8 unit to get the Dodge/SRT supercharger treatment

Dodge reckons that the new Hellcat has so much power that it requires two keys. The black key fob limits the driver to "just" 500 ponies, while the red key unleashes the full stable. We'd say that's a nice feature for a dad handing the keys over to his son on a Friday night, but we're pretty sure most dads don't want junior trying to rein in a 500-horse stampede. Dad might want to punch in his PIN and activate valet mode, which limits engine output, alters transmission settings and makes other drive alterations to cut the fun out of joyriding.

The big, grumbling HEMI V8 handles its 650 lb-ft of torque with help from the buyer's choice of a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual or a new TorqueFlight eight-speed automatic. Drivers can tune the ride by way of sport, track and default driving modes, tweaking it even more with a personalized "custom" mode option.

The hard edges and boxy shape of modern-day muscle cars like the Challenger keep them from being poster children for aerodynamics, but Dodge and SRT designers did spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel optimizing the 2015 Challenger's form. The Hellcat includes a large front splitter increasing downforce, aero-optimized side sills and a tall rear spoiler. Its lightweight aluminum power-bulge hood has an intake and dual air extractors.

The Challenger SRT Hellcat comes standard on "Slingshot" split-seven spoke 20 x 9.5-in forged-aluminum wheels. Those wheels are wrapped neatly in P275/40ZR20 Pirelli P Zero Nero tires that come screeching to a stop behind a high-performance braking system with all-new 390-mm Brembo rotors and six-piston calipers up front.

Inside the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Inside, the Challenger SRT Hellcat is outfitted with a fully modern cockpit touched up with elements inspired by the 1971 Challenger. Smack in front of the driver, a 7-in driver information display offers a customizable read-out. That display is flanked by throwback analog gauges that tie the look into the 1971 car. To the driver's right, an 8.4-in Uconnect touchscreen keeps them connected from the center stack. Leather-wrapped surfaces and aluminum trim finish off the look.

Dodge will manufacture the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat at its Brampton, Ontario plant, getting it into dealerships the third quarter of this year. It has yet to release pricing.

A sinister scene

The news of the Hellcat's 707-hp rating comes just after Dodge's July 1 centenary anniversary celebration. Not all that long ago, Dodge looked like it might not make it very far past its 100th. After losing its truck line to Ram and its Viper halo to SRT, it seemed like it was being stripped of product and possibly prepped to become the next extinct American auto brand. But with its recent consolidation with SRT, revamped focus on performance, and exciting products like the Hellcat on offer, Dodge appears fully energized and ready for the next 100.

As fun as the Hellcat is to chat about, it's even more fun to watch. Check it out in the new video below.

Source: Dodge

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26 comments
Daishi
The 580 HP supercharged ZL1 Camaro is $55k and the 505 HP 7.0L Z/28 Camaro is $72k.
I think the Z/28 is faster at turning than the ZL1 though with a 7:37 Nurburgring time (semi wet track).
I don't know how well it will turn but the Challenger will make more power than even the Viper. I think cars in NASCAR are only 800-850 HP @ 3400 lbs so at this rate even street legal sports cars are catching up.
Slowburn
It's more fun to build your own mega power engine.
Bud Greiner
The Author saying that the Shelby cobra was the biggest ever, but that is not a Factory Production car, a factory production car is just what it say's, no tweaking after production right from the factory, Dodge claims the Hellcat is the most ever, & it's the most horsepower ever from the original manufacturer, & that is correct, nobody else in the USA manufacturers has ever produced that much horsepower from factory, John Hennessy reworked Vipers & Corvettes & has got incredible horsepower, but that isn't what Dodge is talking about. (FACTORY)
christopher
Wow. That's half a megawatt. In all seriousness - you could literally power your entire neighbourhood's electricity usage if you hooked this baby up to a genny in your garage while not driving...
Slowburn
@ christopher The engine doesn't have much operating time at that output level. Running at 700 hp it would probably eat itself within an hour. That does not mean that an engine of the same power and displacement could not be built to continuously operate at 700 hp.
Jay Finke
Great, I just found out Dodge uses plastic impellers on there water pumps. what a joke. who else is doing this ?
Island Architect
Go Ralph Go!!!
Fantastiche!!!
You are the masterpiece!
And You Know CARS!
RFM
At the end of the day....Who cares? 700 bhp on a car that doesn't steer worth a damn at 30 mph.
steveraxx
Plastic impellers? Well, lets see the porsche I sold had them, as well as many other plastic water pipes. My BMW had plastic water impellers, which I replaced with a metal equipped water pump, though not before I lost the head gasket. Mercedes and Volkswagen also have nothing but plastic.
BMW and porsche expect you to replace the entire cooling system at around 45,000. You read that correctly. Replace the plastic radiator, water pump, auxiliary electric water-pump, all the hoses. Even if you do your own work, it is neither inexpensive or fun. Interestingly enough my 62 Impala SS still works with the original radiator. And is still faster in the quarter than an M-5.
Srt_Adrian
I love reading comments on these types of posts. Shows how uneducated morons out there that are bashing a car maker for putting plastic impeller on water pump. Thanks to Steveraxx for putting people in their place with a fun filled factual filled posting about plastic impellers.