RE: Dodge Charger Hellcat: You Know You Want To
Thursday 3rd September 2015
Hopefully you will have seen a few rather excited posts on PH social media yesterday featuring a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. A very big, very black, very scary Dodge Challenger Hellcat. It was part of a drag racing extravaganza you will be seeing more of soon because, well, what's a drag race without some full-fat American muscle?
Imagine this in your mirror on the A14!There won't be any race spoilers here but the attention the Hellcat received was incredible. At a runway with Porsches, racing bikes, Nissan GT-Rs, a Ferrari and a McLaren, the big Dodge drew admirers from everywhere. People wanted to see it, hear it and take pictures of it. Predictably too the Hellcat left two gigantic lines of rubber and clouds of smoke at the startline and for, er, much of the quarter-mile as well. As a spectacle it was just brilliant.
"Look darling, four doors and very comfy too"This Charger is in the UK with Clive Sutton, which also has Corvettes, Mustangs and mahoosive SUVs in its stock. The price? £79,950. Yikes. Certainly more than it would cost in America but also right up with the European rivals from Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar. Obviously there are the import costs to consider but anyone wishing to import their own and save money may struggle with demand massively outstripping supply for all Hellcats. It's the only Charger in the UK for sale right now...
Dodge Charger Hellcat: You Know You Want To
707hp of supercharged V8 fury arrives in the UK ready to ruin an M5's fun
Imagine this in your mirror on the A14!
But there is a way you can improve on the Hellcat recipe: more doors. We all know fast saloons are cooler than fast coupes - think M5/M6, C63 AMG, those kind of things - and that's definitely the case here. Say hello to a Dodge Charger Hellcat. In the UK.
The Charger is mechanically identical to the Challenger so there's the same 205mph potential and infamous 707hp, but with the practical benefit of four doors. That means the Challenger probably looks like a more traditional muscle car but the Charger certainly doesn't struggle for visual intimidation. Especially black with more black.
"Look darling, four doors and very comfy too"
At any price though, a Dodge Charger Hellcat will never be a rational choice. Left-hand drive will always be an insurmountable issue for some, you'll have to explain what it is all the time and it surely won't be as simple to maintain as a car purchased in the UK. Doesn't stop us really wanting one though. And a lot of tyres. God bless America!
DODGE CHARGER SRT HELLCAT
Price: £79,950
Why you should: 707hp, four doors, 205mph
Why you shouldn't: £79,950, M5, E63
See the original advert here.
[Source: AutomotiveNews]
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Discussion
As dark, and as dangerous-looking, as Darth Vaders helmet.
As an aside, I priced up the most expensive Corvette, with convertible body, Z06 spec and every extra, and it came to the equivalent of £73550 in the US
On PH, someone is advertising the slightly cheaper coupe version for £149,995
I'll save people doing the maths, but that's £73550 difference.
Ok, shipping, taxes when it gets here, and various jobs to get it through the requisite test, but asking DOUBLE? Really?
It backs up what is said in this article about pricing, and personally I think we are ripped off on this side of the Atlantic.
Out of interest, a fully-optioned Hellcat costs the equivalent of £42,734 brand new in the US.......
As an aside, I priced up the most expensive Corvette, with convertible body, Z06 spec and every extra, and it came to the equivalent of £73550 in the US
On PH, someone is advertising the slightly cheaper coupe version for £149,995
I'll save people doing the maths, but that's £73550 difference.
Ok, shipping, taxes when it gets here, and various jobs to get it through the requisite test, but asking DOUBLE? Really?
It backs up what is said in this article about pricing, and personally I think we are ripped off on this side of the Atlantic.
Out of interest, a fully-optioned Hellcat costs the equivalent of £42,734 brand new in the US.......
To be a Q car it has to blend-in - that blends-in to UK roads in the way a 30st black guy would blend-in at a KKK Girls-Only sleepover...
£80K is also VERY silly - it will lose half of that before you've said the 's' in 'yes' (that's >£1-$1!!)
Take a more mundane auto, commoner to UK roads - throw in a crate V8 and some trickery (superchargers are nice) - save £50K at least
Protip: steel wheels would be cool ;0
£80K is also VERY silly - it will lose half of that before you've said the 's' in 'yes' (that's >£1-$1!!)
Take a more mundane auto, commoner to UK roads - throw in a crate V8 and some trickery (superchargers are nice) - save £50K at least
Protip: steel wheels would be cool ;0
I believe the Charger Hellcat is officially the fastest production four door saloon currently available. I prefer the Challenger myself. But both cars are awesome. 26mpg on a run and 19mpg around town. Whilst the exchange rate buys you $1.50 to every £1 you also have to factor in 10%import duty, 20% VAT plus the shipping cost. Your next headache is actually getting hold of one without paying anything from $5K to $15K plus on dealer mark up. You cannot buy direct from Dodge and would have to order through a third party resident in the states. Add in the UK light conversion and IVA test to get it UK registered, it all adds up.
Whilst I cannot speak for the Charger, The Challenger is an awesome weapon. Makes a C63 sound anaemic. I've owned a lot of different cars over the years and the wife puts the Challenger Hellcat as number one by far. It is the only fast car I have owned that does not make her feel sick. The power is linear, just nails her in the seat for as long as you keep the loud pedal pressed.
Whilst I cannot speak for the Charger, The Challenger is an awesome weapon. Makes a C63 sound anaemic. I've owned a lot of different cars over the years and the wife puts the Challenger Hellcat as number one by far. It is the only fast car I have owned that does not make her feel sick. The power is linear, just nails her in the seat for as long as you keep the loud pedal pressed.
graemel said:
I believe the Charger Hellcat is officially the fastest production four door saloon currently available. I prefer the Challenger myself. But both cars are awesome. 26mpg on a run and 19mpg around town. Whilst the exchange rate buys you $1.50 to every £1 you also have to factor in 10%import duty, 20% VAT plus the shipping cost. Your next headache is actually getting hold of one without paying anything from $5K to $15K plus on dealer mark up. You cannot buy direct from Dodge and would have to order through a third party resident in the states. Add in the UK light conversion and IVA test to get it UK registered, it all adds up.
Whilst I cannot speak for the Charger, The Challenger is an awesome weapon. Makes a C63 sound anaemic. I've owned a lot of different cars over the years and the wife puts the Challenger Hellcat as number one by far. It is the only fast car I have owned that does not make her feel sick. The power is linear, just nails her in the seat for as long as you keep the loud pedal pressed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG6veF_34QEWhilst I cannot speak for the Charger, The Challenger is an awesome weapon. Makes a C63 sound anaemic. I've owned a lot of different cars over the years and the wife puts the Challenger Hellcat as number one by far. It is the only fast car I have owned that does not make her feel sick. The power is linear, just nails her in the seat for as long as you keep the loud pedal pressed.
J4CKO said:
If you knew the full story behind that video you would understand that it was a little unfair. First time at the strip and he blew the tyres off and thought he would just give a smoke show. He then spent some time at the strip. Fitted some drag radials (street legal) and did a re match against the Tesla. To about the 1/8 not much in it but from the 1/8 on the Hellcat toasted the toaster. Remember the Tesla is all wheel drive with instant torque. I really don't understand the idea of making the Hellcat so understated. This is a Chrysler muscle car, a company who puts cartoons on them, all kinds of graphic packages, and paints such as: Plum Crazy, Hemi Orange, Sub Lime, Lemon Twist, Tor-Red, Go Mango, Limelight, Curious Yellow, Top Banana, Mood Indigo, Green Go and In-Violet.
mikEsprit said:
I really don't understand the idea of making the Hellcat so understated. This is a Chrysler muscle car, a company who puts cartoons on them, all kinds of graphic packages, and paints such as: Plum Crazy, Hemi Orange, Sub Lime, Lemon Twist, Tor-Red, Go Mango, Limelight, Curious Yellow, Top Banana, Mood Indigo, Green Go and In-Violet.
My Challenger is Pitch Black. I wanted a badass look and it is. For 2015 Sublime was in your face but not available on the Charger. For 2016 Dodge will give you Plum Crazy and Go Mango Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff