Dodge Hellcats in big demand

Dodge's recent cancellation of almost 1000 orders for its mad Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat muscle cars appears to be pushing up prices for its wildest production cars ever, which are odds-on to be sold in Australia, but probably not until the next generation arrives in 2018.

Late last month Chrysler's sister brand said it was forced to cancel about 900 remaining orders for 2015 model year versions of its Hellcat twins, which are powered by a ballistic 527kW/880 supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and touted by Dodge as the most powerful American production V8 in history.

That's because a number of irresponsible dealers took orders from customers knowing they couldn't be honoured, leading Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to label the practice as "unscrupulous" and put in place "Hellcat allocation total" for its dealers for each model year, based on their previous sales performance.

Dodge says verified orders will be given priority in the allocation of MY16 Hellcat vehicles, production of which will be more than doubled. MY16 upgrades for both Hellcat sedan and coupe models will include 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment with navigation as standard, but pricing is yet to be announced.

MY16 Hellcat orders open in the US this week before production starts in September and first customer deliveries take place late this year.

The Hellcat hiatus appears to have increased the demand for -- and prices of -- second-hand Hellcats in the US, as evidenced by two near-near examples of the Challenger SRT Hellcat coupe at the most recent Barrett-Jackson auction on Saturday.

Given lots #642 and #643 may be the only pristine examples of this year's limited-edition Challenger SRT Hellcat to be available until more new vehicles roll into showrooms late this year, both cars were widely expected to attract bid in excess of $100,000.

Hellcats often sell for more than double their $US59,990 factory suggested sticker price, and these two sold above retail. However, they fell short of topping six figures.  

The first Hellcat, a bullet silver automatic with 131 miles on its odometer, sold for $US67,000 plus a 10 per cent buyer’s premium. The second Hellcat, a lime green six-speed manual with 15 miles under its belt, sold for $US80,000 plus a 10 per cent buyer’s premium.

Plenty of muscle car buyers were in attendance and willing to spend big, but they appeared to prefer earlier metal. Two Chevrolet Camaro coupes crossed the auction block just prior to the Hellcats and both reached six-figure bidding.

Lot #640, a second-gen 1971 Camaro with a supercharged 418ci LS3 and fresh from a total rebuild, sold for $US125,000. Lot #641, a first-gen 1969 Camaro with a nat-atmo LS3 and six-speed Tremec manual, had travelled only five miles since restoration and sold for $US112,000.