Mopar fans have had it tough over the past few years—rumors of a Super-Challenger have been going on for well over a year, but announcement after announcement has given folks nothing but Shakers and stripes. Meanwhile, the Camaro has the ZL1 (and new Z/28 track car) while the Mustang has had the Shelby and now the next-gen version. The Challenger, in comparison, is still that same car as before.
But not anymore. Ladies and Gentlemen, here’s the new 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with over 600 horses.
With 600 horsepower, it is more than equipped to deal with pesky Camaros. And pesky Shelbys? No one knows what Ford is doing with the new Mustang, so it’s no longer a contender. Autoweek tells us this supercharged 6.2 Hemi has a forged steel crankshaft, forged alloy pistons, and heat-treated aluminum-alloy cylinder heads. Standard transmission is a six-speed manual, while Chrysler’s TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic is optional.
Sounds yummy? We thought so. And if it is a bit too yummy, there’s still the 485-horsepower 392 SRT. Both SRTs get new eight-spoke 20-inch wheels, but the Hellcat goes with “Brass Monkey” dark bronze instead of black. Behind those wheels are 15.4-inch front Brembo rotors, which will be optional for the regular SRT.
Don’t quote Motrolix on this one, but for now it looks like the Shaker will not be available for the Hellcat. Instead, you receive a NACA cold-air intake with extra cold-air ducting through the driver-side parking lamp. Look closely and you’ll notice a new front splitter too.
Otherwise, the Hellcat has all the new bits that were previously announced for the 2015 Challenger, such as new front and rear fascias that harken back to the 1971 facelift, new interior (much-needed!), and new shifters for both transmissions (throwback ball shifter for stick, T-handle job with steering paddles for the auto).
We know it’s been a long time coming, Mopar fans. Performance figures have yet to be released, but think of it this way: competition is good, and it has created a better Challenger.
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