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.
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"
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...
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.