Dodge Hellcat Redeye: A Closer Look

The Redeye

When presented with the opportunity to test out the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye, my response was a definite yes! Let's take a detailed look at the newest MOPAR monster.

Photo courtesy of Driveline

Bondurant Racing School

This place is known as "Hellcat Heaven", as the school has 83 Hellcat Challengers on the track, as well as a few Hellcat Chargers. The mechanics I talked to say each car goes through a set of tires about every two weeks. My math figures they are burning through 10,000 tires a year. Wow.

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V8 Engine

The first thing we did was look under the hood to view the massive engine. It cranks 797 horsepower and 707 lbs/ft. of torque. A beefed-up 8-speed automatic gearbox is the only choice. Amazingly, fuel economy on a standard Hellcat I drove last year was 13/21 mpg, while this one is rated better at 13/22. The factory claims 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, and 10.8 in the quarter mile.

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Speedometer

The claimed top speed is 203 mph. Since we were driving on city streets, reaching that goal is not very practical.

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Keys

In order to get maximum horsepower, you need the performance key fob. The other one is for valet parking and provides less engine power. Not that I would ever give my Hellcat key to a valet anyway!

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Air intake

On a regular Hellcat, that large headlight hole is an air intake sucking in 1,060 cubic feet of air per minute feeding a supercharger spinning at 14,600 rpm. 

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SRT emblem

The SRT emblem will let your buddies know you spent a lot of money on this car.

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Redeye emblem

The Redeye emblem will let them know you spent even more!

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All season tires

Redeye cars are scheduled to get Pirelli 3-season or all-season tires. The front brakes are large 15.4-inch 6-piston, while the rears are 13.8-inch 4-piston brakes. They do a great job of hauling this 4,500-pound beast to a halt.

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Front seats

The front leather seats are very comfortable and look sharp.

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Rear seat delete

Buyers have the option of deleting the rear seat and getting a storage tub instead. If you have extra friends that want a ride, you can stick a few of them in that large trunk!

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Redeye rear view

The base price starts about $72,000. If you want the Wide Body, FCA says that will cost $6,000 more. With all options, you can reach the $100,000 mark. If you can't afford to buy one, then find a way to rent one for a day. It will be money well spent.

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Redeye side view

We were not able to take this Redeye on the race track to record some times, but on the street, the massive amount of torque this motor puts out is impressive. In spite of the high price, there is a lot of car here for the money. Boring it is NOT!

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For help with your repair and maintenance projects, please visit our How-to section in the forum.