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NEWS
Supercharged HEMI for Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
But 'most powerful Challenger ever' won't be coming to OzA supercharged 6.2-litre 'HEMI' V8 is at the heart of Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat – a 600hp juggernaut on Pirellis.
Unfortunately, the car promoted by Dodge as the "most powerful Challenger" in the history of the nameplate, isn't on the cards for Australia. The Challenger was only engineered in the first instance for left-hand drive.
Announced as an addition to the Challenger range for its 2015 model year update, the Hellcat is presumably named after the Grumman fighter plane that served with the US Navy in World War Two. The supercharged HEMI V8 – good for at least 600hp or 447kW –is assembled from parts comprising 91 per cent new content, in contrast with the naturally-aspirated engine in the standard Challenger SRT, more powerful for 2015.
Those new components include a forged-steel crankshaft, specially tuned crank damper, forged-alloy pistons, powder-forged connecting rods, diamond-like-carbon-coated piston pins and heat-treated alloy cylinder heads. According to the company's press release, the Hellcat engine can withstand boost pressure to 110bar and the crank damper is rated up to 13,000 rpm.
Buyers can opt for a six-speed Tremec manual or an eight-speed automatic. Tyres for the Hellcat variant are supplied by Pirelli and the front brakes are the biggest stoppers every fitted to a production Chrysler Group vehicle, the company claims.
The standard Challenger SRT rides on 20x9-inch forged-aluminum "Hyper Black" wheels with 245/45ZR20 Goodyear RSA2 All-Season tyres. Pirelli P Zero Nero tyres measuring 275/40ZR20 are fitted to 20 x 9.5-inch, forged-aluminum wheels in a matte black finish for the Hellcat model. Front brakes consist of 390-mm Brembo two-piece rotors and six-piston callipers.
The Challenger SRT (including the Hellcat version) offers four 'Drive Modes' settings. Three are Sport, Track and Default modes, and the fourth – 'Custom' – allows the driver to tailor the set-up to suit his or her own preferences for power delivery, shift points and steering.
"The new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the ultimate performance muscle car," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge CEO.
"Dodge is the Mainstream Performance brand, and now combined with SRT, we are able to unleash a true GT car with an all-new driver-focused interior and the TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission combined with the most powerful V-8 Chrysler has ever produced. The Challenger Hellcat has been released!"
Dodge has developed distinct styling cues and interior fixtures for the Hellcat version of the Challenger SRT. There's no mention of (US) pricing or the exact power and torque figures yet, with the car not ready to commence production at the company's Brampton, Ontario plant prior to the third quarter of this year.
Chrysler Australia would love to be able to bring the Challenger SRT here (and the Hellcat version as well), but the exclusively left-hook engineering is a major stumbling block yet to be overcome.
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Written byCarsales Staff
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