2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Test Drive 707 Horsepower Supercharged Hemi

Great Article about the brand new 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Probably the fastest modern Muscle Car on the market at the moment. But check for yourself.

Test drive: 707-horsepower 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

The muscle car wars have a new heavyweight champion, the Dodge Challenger Hellcat.

The burly cruiser has been redesigned for 2015, and to celebrate, they stuffed the top-of-the-line model with 6.2-liters worth of supercharged V8 that pumps out an absurd 707 hp and is named for a WWII fighter plane. Deservedly so.

Never before has an American production car harnessed so many horses, and the only others in the world that do cost about five times the Challenger's $60,990 price. That's a big $15,000 jump from the next most powerful Challenger, the no-slouch 485 hp SRT 392, and indicative of just how special the Hellcat engine is.

Essentially an all-new motor, it has a 2.4-liter supercharger, two cooling systems, two air cooling systems and two air intakes -- including one hidden in the middle of the inside left headlight -- that can gulp up to 30,000 liters of air each minute.

Now, plenty of race and tuning shops will tell you 707 hp is no big deal, they've been doing that and more for years. The difference is that the Hellcat is backed by a five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, just like your Grand Caravan.

It's a great-looking engine, too, with an iron block and valve covers painted HEMI orange just like in the old days, and that huge supercharger sitting on top of it like a Weber grill. The hood has three shapely openings: a scoop to bring in a cool breeze and two extractors to purge heat and lower the air pressure under it to improve aerodynamic downforce. A NASCAR-grade chin splitter and trunk-mounted spoiler help manage the winds, as well.

The Challenger is anything but subtle, even the rental car-spec V6 model, but these tweaks plus a set of black 20-inch wheels take it to the next level. In the couple of days that I had the car, I didn't park it once without returning to find someone waiting to chat. And when I stopped by Raceway Park in New Jersey, it couldn't have gotten more attention if Chris Christie had been behind the wheel, taking Eli Manning and Bruce Springsteen for a spin.

Inside, the coupe gets a much needed update, with a curvy and chrome-trimmed dash, retro-inspired gauges, turned-aluminum inserts and Chrysler's latest UConnect infotainment system, which is one of the best in the business.

Version Hellcat.2 (I made that up) has a couple of screens specific to the car, including one that lets you adjust the steering, transmission, adaptive suspension and even the engine output to your liking. On days that you're not feeling frisky, you can turn the motor down to a more pedestrian 500 hp, or use a code to lock it in Valet Mode, which cuts the power even further, forces second gear starts and keeps all the safety systems on full. It's the automotive equivalent of a chastity belt.

There's even an icon for Eco Mode. Stop laughing, press it, try not to look to hard at the gas pedal and the Hellcat can squeeze out 22 mpg on the highway, thanks largely to its beefed-up eight-speed automatic transmission. The six-speed manual is good for 21 mpg. Neither is high enough to duck a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax, but if there ever was a car designed to consume petroleum products, this is it.

Keep your foot to the floor and the Hellcat will empty its 18.5-gallon gas tank in just over 12 minutes and melt the rubber off of its supercar-grade Pirelli P Zero tires ($1,988 per set at Tire Rack) even quicker than that. Ease up, let them get some grip, and it takes off quicker than a scalded rhinoceros. Dodge says it'll do the quarter mile in 11.2 seconds and hit a top speed of 199 mph. Considering that it weighs just a smidge less than 4,500 pounds, that's one speedy ungulate.

A set of the largest brakes ever used by Dodge does a heroic job of slowing things down, while an epic stability control program delivers quick turn in and gets it through the curves better than expected. That is if you leave that gas pedal alone. Press it too hard, and by that I mean "at all," and it will kick the tail out, especially if it shifts in the middle of the turn. This can happen when you're going straight, as well. It may be the only car I've ever driven with rear-wheel torque steer.

The tires are 9.5-inches wide and they still don't have a chance. Dodge decided not to flare the fenders to accommodate more. One of those tuning shops certainly will. Along with plenty of standing burnouts, I did one while cruising along at 30 mph. No clutch drop, because I had the automatic. Just floored it and turned the tires into fog. That's the kind of power on tap. Later in the day it rained and, let's just say, things got really interesting.
Dodge

The Hellcat is beautiful on the inside and out.

Anyone who got upset when the Dodge SRT Viper was recently "civilized" should give one of these a shot. Turn off all of those driver aids and it's a handful of understeer, oversteer and inertia, even in the dry. A challenge, for sure. It's no sports car, it's a muscle car to the nth power. On a twisty track it'd be the Death Star battling X-Wings, but give it a clean shot and you'll suffer the same fate as Alderaan.

It's tempting to think this is the epitome of American power, except that I'm sure it isn't. The Challenger SRT Hellcat was the answer to the 662 hp Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, which was the answer to the 580 hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. With gas prices what they are today, there's no reason that trend line won't continue.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/motor/

Top 10 of Rare Muscle Cars - Mens Dreams

Found this article while drifting through the web. Thought it would be a nice one to share. I do not necessarily agree with the list but still a interesting collection.

 

10. 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird — 135 Produced

The Superbird was a highly modified version of Plymouth’s already highly successful Roadrunner line. The car was designed for racing purposes. It was a follow up to Plymouth’s parent company Dodge’s Charger Daytona. The Superbird was fitted with a 426 cubic inch Hemi engine and many MOPAR high performance parts. The cars have become famous for their high mounted, wing-like spoiler and its horn which copied the sound from the Looney Tunes’ Roadrunner character. The Superbirds were only made in 1970 and Plymouth only produced 135 of them.

9. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 — 69 Produced

 

Chevrolet released 69 Camaro ZL-1’s as an upgrade package available only on the 1969 Camaro. The ZL-1 engine was the L88 engine made entirely of aluminium as opposed to sheet metal. The factory stated it was capable of producing about 430 horsepower, but it really could produce up to 560. The ZL-1 engine is considered a much better design than the L88 it was modelled after. Because it was made of aluminium, it only weighed 500 pounds. It actually weighs just as much as a 327 cubic inch Chevy small block engine. The first 20 produced were immediately put on professional drag racing strips. The rest were sent to the public with a price tag of $7,200. The high price tag drove away consumers. Twelve of them actually got sent back to Chevy and refitted with a smaller engine so they would be able to sell.
 

8. 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 R-Code — 57 Produced

The Ford Fairlane was introduced in 1955 and was Ford’s full-size car model until 1962. In 1962, Ford redesigned the Fairlane in order to compete with the growing muscle car market. It became Ford’s original muscle car design and became the basis for Ford’s Torino and Cobra lines. The 500 was the upgraded racing package available for the Fairlanes. In 1967 Ford offered the 500 R-Code. The name is derived from the “R” which was put into the VIN number. The letter signified that the car had been fitted with dual quad carburetors. The upgraded carburetors allowed the Fairlane 500 to achieve up to 425 horsepower. Only 57 Fairlane 500’s R-Codes were made.

7. 1967 Plymouth R023 GTX — 55 Produced

Plymouth’s GTX was always overshadowed by the much more popular Roadrunner and more powerful Barracuda lines. Because they were not as popular, GTXs are rarer than most other Plymouth lines. However, the most sought after of the GTXs are the 55 R023 models. The GTX R023 was designed for racing. Plymouth did away with the GTX’s hubcaps, radio, heater, body insulations and carpet in order to save as much weight as possible. The R023 was over 500 pounds lighter than a regular GTX even after it was fitted with a 426 cubic inch Hemi engine. The car also was designed with larger hood scoops in order to increase airflow to the massive engine block. It was capable of doing 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds. That is quite a feat for 1967.

6. 1970-71 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible — 21 Produced

For the true muscle car fan, there has never been and never will be anything like the Hemi Cuda. Plymouth resigned its Barracuda line in 1970 and it became simply known as the Cuda. The car had five different engine options available ranging from a 340 to 440 cubic inches the most highly sought after of which being the ones with the 426 cubic inch Hemi. Cudas were only fitted with this engine in 1970 and 1971. Though Hemi Cudas are extremely rare themselves, the rarest are the convertible models. There were only 21 convertible Hemi Cudas produced.  This was because the Hemi engine upgrade cost $871. Most people went with a 440+6 cubic inch model because it was only $250 more than the base model.

5. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 — 20 Produced

Chevrolet produced the Corvette L88s in 1967 and 1968. They were exclusively manufactured at their factory in St. Louis, Missouri. The L88 was a racing package available for the Corvettes which included a 427 cubic inch Chevy big block engine. Chevrolet originally designed the car specifically for the purpose of racing at the professional level. They actually discouraged selling it to dealerships and consumers because they thought the added power was dangerous for street driving. Chevy stated the L88 engine produced 435 horsepower, only slightly higher than a regular Corvette. This was in order to make consumers think the L88 package was not much better than the everyday Vette. However, later tests from individuals have shown the engine has between 540 and 560 horsepower. Increased emissions demand forced the company to stop producing the L88s. Only 196 were made. The most valuable are the 1967 models, of which only 20 were produced.

4. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 — 20 Produced

The 454 LS6s are the rarest Chevelles out there. They were only made in 1970 and Chevy only produced 20 of them. Chevelle SS came in one of two options at this time. A person could get a RPO225 which came with a 402 cubic inch engine or a RPO215 which came with a 440 cubic inch engine. The LS6 was an upgrade that was only available on RPO215s. The LS6 upgrade added 100 horsepower to the RPO215, allowing it to produce a total of 560 HP.

3. 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible — 17 Produced

The GTO was started as an upgraded package available for the company’s Tempest line. It was designed by John DeLorean and inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO. In 1966, the GTO became a separate model from the Tempest. The Judge was released in 1969 as an upgraded racing package available for the GTO. Pontiac stripped the GTO down to its bare bones in order to save weight on the car. Then they dropped in a 455 cubic inch engine. GTO Judges are highly sought after, but the rarest are the convertibles. They only produced 207 convertible models of the cars. In 1971 the United States made the emission standards on cars much stricter. Pontiac stopped making the car that year. Only 17 of the 207 convertibles were made in 1971.

2. 1969 Chevrolet Corvette ZL-1— 3 Produced

The all-aluminum ZL-1 engine block was only put into three Corvettes. The idea was first ordered by one of the factory workers at Chevrolet’s St. Louis, Missouri plant. Two more orders were placed after the car was finally unveiled. The all-aluminum L88 Special Turbo Jet 427 cubic inch engine produced 500 horsepower. The car cost $10,771 in 1969. It was over $3000 more than a normal Corvette. Remember, these were all ordered by Chevrolet employees. Imagine how much they would have cost a member of the general public.

1. 1967/1970 Dodge Coronet R/T 426 Hemi Convertible — 2 Produced

Dodge fitted 487 Coronet R/Ts with Hemi engines. Of those, only four convertibles were ever made. Two were made in 1967 and two in 1970. “R/T” stands for “Road and Track”. 1967 was the first year Dodge offered R/T models of the Coronet. The Coronet received a complete make over in 1970 and was capable of producing up to 425 horsepower.

Source: http://www.therichest.com/