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2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Packs 600+ Horsepower

Mark your calendars, boys and girls, cause the 20th of May is probably the best day for American muscle in 2014. On this faithful day, Dodge unleashed the first specs, photos and videos of the mighty, heavily-anticipated 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat 21 photos
Photo: Dodge
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Let's start with the core characteristic of this bad boy - the Hellcat powerplant. According to SRT engineer Chris Cowland, the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 started life as the 6.4-liter 392 HEMI V8. However, over 90 percent of its components were redesigned or replaced altogether to create the brutish Hellcat engine, which generates "over 600 horsepower" at the crank. C'mon, Dodge, just say the exact horsepower figure already!

An eight-speed TorqueFlite paddle-shift automatic gearbox with increased capacity clutches handles the massive but yet unknown torque figures. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via an all-new heavy-duty limited-slip differential which gives optimum acceleration and cornering performance. Customers will also have the option of a six-speed manual transmission derived from the SRT Viper, featuring an upgraded clutch and an exterior cooling system for increased durability. As for the active exhaust system as loud as a stadium rock band, it is equipped with butterfly valves that open up at high revs to reduce back pressure and increase the volume of the stacatto exhaust note.

Developed with enthusiastic drivers in mind, SRT engineers came up with a very capable cooling system for optimum performance of the Hellcat. The centrepiece of this high capability system is a full face three-body radiator so large it requires its own unique front fascia. Dodge's most potent V8-powered production model ever isn't as simple as just attaching a big engine to the chassis. In fact, the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat features a wide suite of performance-oriented technological features and design cues.

 'Form', 'function' and 'fast' are the bywords for the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Mark Trostle, the head of exterior design at SRT, explains that the overall exterior design stands for raw emotion and a very bad attitude. Just look at the trio of air intakes incorporated in the bonnet or how the black radiator grille is chromatically complemented by the cold, white light of the headlamps. Did we mention that the SRT-exclusive 20-inch Slingshot wheels are made out of forged aluminum and look wicked in that matte black finish?

Between different drive modes, shift light and launch RPM set-up options, three settings for the transmission and traction control system, as well as other customizable vehicle dynamics features, the car comes with two keys: a red and a black one. No, Neo, this is not the Matrix. But just like the red pill offers a true perspective over reality, the red key unleashes the 600+ horsepower Full Nelson of the 6.2-liter tower of power. The black key restricts the output of the supercharged Hellcat mill for daily driving.

Naturally, the whole driveline suffered changes for handling the oomph of the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Two-piece Brembo brake rotors offer stopping power on all four corners. Thanks to intelligent airflow management to the rotors, the six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the back offer great fade resistance even in track duty situations. Inside the wheel arches you'll find ducting that delivers fresh air to help keep the massive 15.4-inch brakes cool. After engineers decided to go with this new Brembo braking system, they also retuned the hydraulic steering for maximum feedback and a great linear feel.

As for the cabin design, it's very driver oriented. Featuring red face gauges, SRT Laguna leather bucket seats with lots of bolstering and a 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Uconnect Access, life at the wheel of this car is at good as it gets for a modern American muscle car.

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat will be joined by a revised SRT model, featuring a slightly upgraded 6.4-liter HEMI V8 delivering 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm) of peak torque.

Soak up (almost) everything there is to know about the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT and SRT Hellcat by checking the attached press release, as well as the photo gallery below. If that's not enough, follow this link for the full set of promo videos.

PS: a question for all you Mopar fans out there: do you think that the Hellcat-powered SRT Challenger will prove to be more powerful than the Shelby GT500 (662 HP) or the all-new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (625 horsepower)?

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press release
About the author: Mircea Panait
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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.
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