This is a ridiculous machine. It’s crazy that Dodge makes this. It’s wild that you can walk into a dealership, give them your many dollars, and leave with the keys to one of these. This is the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye, and I love it.
You can think of it as a sort of sub-Demon. Or perhaps a Hellcat deluxe. Either way, it’s wicked. After all, there’s a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 sitting under the hood and it produces 797 horsepower. That’s damn near 800. In a car that requires no sort of special license to operate. It doesn’t really need it either, as the things a smooth beast if you’re just cruising around town.
But the moment you lay into the throttle even a bit more than casually, the supercharger screams to life. The large 305 section tires do their best to maintain a semblance of traction. And the traction control system decides it might be a good time for a smoke break.
Pricey, but it should be
Is it expensive? Yes, of course it is. And it should be too. The one I’m driving here is right around $93,000. That’s tons and tons of money. But it’s a bargain considering just how much factory-warrantied power you have at hand. Nearly every supercar, or even hypercar, owner that rolls upon you at a stoplight can only shy away from that SRT-badged snout. Sure, you’re traction limited off the line, but once you hook up, it’s “Ludicrous Speed, Go!”
I love this big dumb thing. And you should too. Even if we can’t afford to put one in our own garage, it’s great knowing that Dodge gives others the chance to do so. This may be one of the high-water mark moments for the Horsepower Wars (alongside the Demon, of course). The future is focused on adding lightness, which is a great thing… but horsepower is pretty damn awesome too.
(psst, especially when it’s not wearing those dumb yellow packing protectors… take that shit off)
[Disclaimer: Dodge tossed us the keys to the Redeye and included a tank of gas. That fuel was downed quicker than PBR at a fraternity party.]
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