Due to the cost of developing a completely new engine as powerful as the Dodge Challenger Hellcat’s 6.2-liter, 707 horsepower supercharged V8, we assumed the power plant would also find its way underneath the hood of another high-performance Fiat-Chrysler product. It seemed possible that the Hellcat V8 would be slated for use in the new Viper, but it’s hard to call it a Viper without the presence of the legendary 8.4-liter V10. The Jeep Cherokee is also the best-selling product SRT product, so that also seemed like a good candidate for the Hellcat V8, but we’ve heard no rumors supporting this.
Apart from those two, the only vehicle which could realistically make use of the Hellcat’s V8 is the recently redesigned 2015 Charger. Fiat-Chrysler included the Charger name in a filing with the Society of Automotive Engineers when the organization certified the engine’s power output. Road And Track recently discovered the filing, ousting the secret that was the Hellcat Charger, if that is what it will be called. The Charger also utilizes a shortened version of Chrysler’s LX platform, which should make the Hellcat’s engine an easy fit under the four-door’s hood.
If you’re not buying any of that, R&T also spied a mysterious Charger prototype testing in Michigan. The car is pictured with a covered up front fascia, which makes sense as the front end would have to be reworked to provide additional cooling to the supercharged engine. The rear end was also covered up, which indicates that a revised rear end is also in order, which may include a different spoiler, rear diffuser or exhaust tips. We’ll find out for sure when Dodge decides to let the ‘Hellcat’ out of the bag, possibly at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.
Check out the photos here.
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