From the time it burst onto the scene in 2015 until it left us in 2023, the Dodge Hellcat was totally awesome in a way that will never be replicated again.
Intro
In 2015 the automotive world was given a special treat. At a time when many manufacturers were downsizing engines and introducing EVs, Dodge took a different approach. They dropped a bomb called the Hellcat. A 707-horsepower supercharged V8 muscle car that was completely awesome. We got to enjoy various Hellcat models for 9 glorious years before they finally pulled the plug in 2023. It may be gone, but it is certainly not forgotten. We still think about the Hellcat, and that is why we are here today. We wanted to list 10 reasons why the Hellcat was awesome as a tribute to these fabulous machines. The following is our list. Is there anything you would add?
1. The Name
Let’s just start off with the name. Hellcat. And that logo. You don’t have to know anything about cars to know that these things mean business. And as if Hellcat wasn’t intimidating enough, there were models based off of it called the Demon, Redeye, Jailbreak, and so on. Bold names for vehicles that can certainly back it up.
2. The Power
The 2015 Hellcats came with 707 horsepower, and they were the weakest of all Hellcats. Crazy, right? The original 6.2L supercharged Hemi V8 also had 650 pound-feet of torque. But that wasn’t enough for the Dodge boys. Over the years the power would be boosted to 717 and then 797 in the Redeye models. A Super Stock would make 807 horses. A Demon on race gas was good for 840. In its final year the Demon 170 made an incredible 1,025 horsepower on E85. These are all just insane numbers.
3. The Sound
In most cars the exciting sounds come from the exhaust pipes. And don’t get us wrong the Hellcat makes pretty great exhaust sounds too. But what really set these vehicles apart was the supercharger whine. You could hear one of these things coming from three blocks away. And there is no mistaking that high-pitched whine. It will put an instant smile on your face.
4. Renewed Interest in Muscle Cars
In 2015 there was the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang, so it is not like there were not any high-powered V8 muscle cars on the market. But nothing was like the Hellcat. It came in and kicked off a fresh round of horsepower wars. Today the most powerful Mustang is the GTD which costs well over $300K and has “only” 815 horsepower. The Demon 170 trumps it by over 200 horses.
5. Available In Every Style
You could get a Hellcat in a sedan, coupe, SUV, and even a pickup truck. No matter what your needs or desires, there was a Hellcat for you. And you can’t go wrong with any of them. 700+ horsepower in a pickup? How awesome is that? The flexibility of this engine is one of the things that made it awesome.
6. The Price
The Hellcat vehicles were never cheap. But they were a total bargain when you consider the amount of power you got per dollar. A 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat had a base MSRP of $60,990. By comparison, a 2015 Corvette Z06 was $79,000, and it was down 57 horsepower compared to the Dodge.
7. The Fun
These vehicles were awesome because they never took themselves too seriously. They were designed to be silly fun from the start. They made crazy power, crazy sounds, and they looked badass. If they didn’t set the fastest lap time around Watkins Glen, who cared? You were having more fun than anyone else out there. These things are bold and brash giggle machines. You can’t help but smile when behind the wheel, and isn’t that the whole point?
8. The Theatrics
These cars were all about the show. A black key for normal driving and a red key for when you wanted all the power. An air intake in the headlight. A Demon Crate filled with drag wheels, an impact wrench, a floor jack, and other goodies. What other car comes with anything like that? These things really knew how to put on a show.
9. The Comfort
Despite all the power, the big tires, the bulging wheel arches, and everything else, the Hellcats were actually very comfortable. They have plenty of space to stretch out. Long trips are no problem at all. And with the Bilstein Three-Mode Adaptive Damping Suspension System, the ride was softer than you might expect.
10. The Performance
Oh, how could we forget the performance of these awesome machines? Dodge claimed a Demon 170 could hit 60 mph in just 1.66 seconds. That is likely a bit of an exaggeration, but the car is still stupid quick. And the regular Hellcat Challenger and Charger models were good for a mid-3-second sprint to 60 mph. Not too shabby. These cars will also nudge up against 200 mph on the top end. What else can you ask for? The Hellcat was and still is awesome.
Images: Stellantis
