Dodge Unleashes Most Powerful Challenger Ever

[Newport Viper]

So when are you buying one? You trash the Gen V Viper on every single site you post on, so I would assume you already have your name on a list for this Chally.

Holding out hope on a convertible still...... but it's got to be killer... hopefully we will see next week??

[dadstoy]

I am a Soccer dad that refuses to grow up and drive a Minivan. We have a 12 Durango R/T now which is nice but I would like it faster, so there is a market for the losers like us. Now that my last one is out of a car seat we don't need the third row seat anymore so this loser would have an interest in a Hellcat GC.

nothing wrong with the Durango or Cherokee, just like stirring the pot every now and then.
was wanting a Durango also. when I was a kid, my parents had a Plymouth station wagon, 9 seater. I did like it too.

[v10enomous]

The Hellcat is a GT500 or an "AND" car for Viper guys. You Know... I have a Viper "AND" a Hellcat. Like a lot of guys who have a Ford GT "AND" a GT500.

[Ohiotj]

I can't wait to see the compraison between the z28, zl1, gt500, the new mustang 350 or whatever they call it and the hellcat. I really hope they upgraded the suspension to make it a road course runner too. We all ready know it can go fast in the quater but that is not really my cup of tea. I went from an rt challenger to my 93 viper and this may make me jump ship from here.

[FLATOUT]

Holding out hope on a convertible still...... but it's got to be killer... hopefully we will see next week??

I hope you see it next week!

[hawk02]

I can't wait to see the compraison between the z28, zl1, gt500, the new mustang 350 or whatever they call it and the hellcat. I really hope they upgraded the suspension to make it a road course runner too. We all ready know it can go fast in the quater but that is not really my cup of tea. I went from an rt challenger to my 93 viper and this may make me jump ship from here.

Z/28 would probably take it on a road course, not 0-60 or 1/4........

[ACRucrazy]

If this thing is reasonably priced, I need to find a way to add this exact color to my garage!

Listen to that crowd! Ahahaha that is so amazing.

[Snakebit]

Ralph's such a hooligan!

[Newport Viper]

[swexlin]

You'll be able to score Jaime Pressly and Brittany Daniel TOGETHER with the Hemi in the Hellcat! (Love that movie!)

[Troublemaker]

Ralph's such a hooligan!

You can't help but like the guy. Executives like that don't come along often, I deal with them more than I like and they didn't come from his mold.

[Lawrenzo]

They better be careful or the EPA will be crackin' down on them soon

[Newport Viper]

You'll be able to score Jaime Pressly and Brittany Daniel TOGETHER with the Hemi in the Hellcat! (Love that movie!)

[ViperSmith]

Ralph's such a hooligan!

He is a 40yo kid

Which is awesome

[Murpowa]

Ford is now rumored to counter Dodge:

http://horsepowerkings.com/is-ford-g...p-svt-mustang/


Two factory American cars - Over 700 hp - (did I mention potential half the price of a Viper). Now would be a good time to annouce an ACR!

[C.J]

Crazy vids! Ralph is a rare gem...Chrysler is lucky (as are we) to have him on board.

[Coloviper]

Ford 5.8L will NOT fit in the new Mustang. That is right from Ford itself when it informed present day 13/14 GT-500 owners after the new Mustang reveal. The Ford SVT article on CNN is pure fabrication. Whatever happened to facts reporting instead of sensationalism? Ford's direction is not really the HP wars. The rest of their lineup is anemic.

I hope Ford does come out with a trumping HP car (Mustangs or whatever) but I serious question if it will trump the current GT-500 because SVT has said directly it will not. The current GT-500 is special and Ford wants to keep that way.

What is interesting is the current GT-500 can not handle the power it has, as it suffers from serious traction issues. More power is not going to help that car. It does help the Challenger as it needs the power to move the weight. The weight might actually help it hook a bit more.

Some of these porkers these days defy the laws of physics. Just look at the Bentley Continental GT or Porsche Panamera Turbo S. They weight an absolute ton but they also really get up and move to where people scratch their head how fast they are.

[VRYALT3R3D]

The marketing behind the Hellcat Challenger is exactly how the Viper's should have been

[Schen]

Let me tell you...this isn't your average muscle car. This is a cut above the rest. This isn't just a car that was thrown together. There's something about it. It not only has character, it has a soul even just sitting still. The designers and engineers that spent their time and resources to build and create this car really went the extra mile. If it wasn't evident Saturday at Carlisle, it will be shortly on every website, blog and news stand. They did a fantastic job back in Detroit and there is no doubt after talking with Ralph, the Hellcat will do really well.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm one of the few keeping things positive but between the Competition Blue Viper and the Black Hellcat parked in front, both cars carry a strong presence. I know a lot of people have had their doubts about that flat blue hue on a Viper, but let me tell you it is beautiful and again, pictures just do not do it justice. While some see things looking dire for the Viper, I can't help but think that maybe the Hellcat is the shot in the arm SRT, err Dodge needs. As if step one was to create products to build interest, now that the interest has been built it's time to go all out. It's time to put up or shut up. Carlisle is catered to the Hemi faithful, after all it is the 50th anniversary of the Hemi, but from what I've been told Mopar fans and owners are simply the most passionate regardless of what they drive. Carlisle proved to be a magical place and lived up to the hype that I've had to read about all the years before.

So what about the reception? Well, it was nuts. The grandstands were packed and we were all given a history lesson by Steve Mags and then walk arounds with the 2015 Charger R/T and Challenger Hellcat. After about twenty minutes or so talking about each car they announced winners of the Hotchkis Performance challenge but not till after a few folks screamed, "DO A BURNOUT!". Following the awards Ralph and Doris hopped in the car and then proceeded to tease the crowd with a pair of tiny burnouts. I could tell traction control was on, but it was amazing. Granted it is a preproduction car, but it has 707 HP and it's defeating the traction system. Let me repeat that for you. DEFEATING. THE TRACTION. CONTROL. Holy crap and it's from the factory.

As mentioned in the video as the car pulls forward, the announcer makes a comment about the GT500, which suddenly prompts the reverse lights to come on the Hellcat. It rolls back into the burnout box, goes into 1st, the clutch is dumped and within 30 seconds everything is covered in a cloud of smoke. The crowd went nuts as if we had all been enjoying a rock band perform for the last two hours and then deliver an encore.

Finally, all I can say is give it time. Just give it some time to perform, to prove itself and maybe before the year ends things will get better. I have no doubt we are on the right track, it's just a matter of luck if the competition can.

--RS

[ohlarikd]

Beautiful pics Schen!!

[swexlin]

Schen, that was an excellent writeup. I too spent the weekend in Carlisle, and watched them unload the black Hellcat off the trailer, and the blue Viper, on Thursday morning. If I had the money and garage space, I would be adding a Hellcat to my fleet. Since I don't, I'm saving my money for a Gen 5. The blue one there was gorgeous (but not getting as much attention), but I guess that was to be expected.

[Matt M, Pa]

I saw both the new Viper and Hellcat at Carlisle, too. They were starting the hellcat and revving it every so often and drawing attention to it. The Viper seemed to be ignored by Dodge at the show other than it simply being there.

While all Chrysler cars are welcome at Carlisle...musclecars seem to be the focus..so it's natural that the Viper wasn't the star.

I'm not a Challenger buyer....I appreciate the retro, etc...but they're not my thing. No matter how much power they put in the car...doesn't change my opinion. Word at Carlisle was that the hellcat Challengers will be about $75,000.

[swexlin]

The Viper seemed to be ignored by Dodge at the show other than it simply being there.

This. And it really bothered me. Even the spokesmodels (hot!) they had on Saturday were ignoring it.

[Schen]

. Word at Carlisle was that the hellcat Challengers will be about $75,000.

Nah, maybe with dealer fees.

--RS

[Matt M, Pa]

...and I'll add...I think the Viper at the Meguairs' display got more attention than the one at Dodge's....