By Steve & Tamami Laser
Who would have guessed that in this day and age of hybrid cars and EVs that we’d be in the midst of a horsepower war? Dodge has thrown down the gauntlet with its outrageous new Challenger SRT Hellcat for 2015, and it’s now on the way to dealers and their anxiously waiting customers.
With numbers that bring tears to the eyes of muscle car fans, this big coupe puts out an astonishing 707 horsepower and a tire-melting 650 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via a 6-speed Tremec manual gearbox or 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic. Dodge says that its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® V8 is the most powerful engine ever offered in the automaker’s history.
While the Challenger delivers epic performance potential with an NHRA-certified quarter-mile sprint of 11.2 seconds at 125 mph (with stock tires), it’s priced significantly lower than exotic cars with a base MSRP of $59,995 (including gas guzzler tax).
The supercharged V8 features a forged-steel crankshaft with induction-hardened bearing surfaces. The result is a crank so well-engineered Dodge says it can “withstand firing pressures of 110 bar (1,595 psi) – the equivalent of five family sedans standing on each piston, every two revolutions.” And its unique, specially tuned crank damper has been tested to 13,000 rpm.
High-strength, forged-alloy pistons – developed using advanced telemetry measurement – are coupled to powder-forged connecting rods with high-load-capacity bushings and diamond-like carbon-coated piston pins.
The new supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 has premium-grade, heat-treated aluminum-alloy cylinder heads that are optimized for superior thermal conductivity. And its die-cast aluminum rocker covers are HEMI Orange.
Now that the Challenger Hellcat is on its way to Dodge dealers, we should be seeing them on the street very soon. You can bet that Ford and Chevrolet aren’t sitting still while Dodge basks in the performance car spotlight. More powerful versions of the Mustang and Camaro are surely in the works.
News source and photos from Dodge
Models, features, specifications and prices are subject to change without notice by the automaker.
Story ©2014 CarNichiWa.com