Though manufacturers rarely advertise economy figures that mirror real-world driving conditions MPG, some can squeeze more miles per gallon than the EPA estimates. Ricci Cavallaro, the owner of a record-breaking Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, did it too, averaging 24.9 miles per gallon (11.3 liters per 100 km) over a 350-mile (563 kilometers) trip.
According to a report published by Allaprnews, Cavallaro managed to pull the impressive fuel economy figure on a cruise from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the Modern Street Hemi Shootout at the Virginia International Raceway. Is his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat stock? Yes; even the drag radials Ricci uses on 1/4-mile runs are street-legal.
A Hellcat-ified Challenger is mind-bending quick off the line if you’re able to reduce gratuitous rear wheel spin to a minimum. 60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.9 seconds is doable provided the rims are shod with street-legal drag radials. But let’s go back to Ricci’s hypermiling achievement and reflect on it for a moment: 24.9 mpg?
Damn right! As Dodge advertises an EPA-rated 22 mpg (12.8 l/100 km) highway rating, here comes a racer with a heavy right foot that can rack up more miles per gallon without breaking a sweat. To make this feat even more we’ll mention that the 8-speed automatic Hellcat was full of Ricci Cavallaro’s belongings.
“The drag radials (on race wheels), a jack, tools, a passenger, and suitcases for the trip,” are the things Ricci took with him on the 350-mile long trip, rendering the trip computer’s figure even more impressive. 707 horsepower, a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8, a curb weight starting at 4,439 lbs (2,013 kilograms) and 24.9 mpg without fuel-saving tricks? Fan-bleeding-tastic!
PS: Ricci can pull 10.71 seconds at 129.53 mph (208.4 km/h) on the 1/4-mile with drag radials.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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