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Cops Go Drag Racing, Police Car Takes On Hellcats and the Gap Is Big

At some point, most of us (okay, probably all of us) have wondered whether we can beat a police cruiser in a straight line acceleration, yet the answer is obvious. It depends on the type of car that we’re driving, what engine it has, how it puts down the power and how skillful we are behind the wheel.
Dodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag Race 6 photos
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | Wheels
Dodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag RaceDodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag RaceDodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag RaceDodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag RaceDodge Hellcat Police Cruiser Drag Race
Throw the Hellcat game into the mix, however, and the balance will tilt in its favor. Or will it? Are 717 HP and 656 lb-ft (890 Nm) of torque in the Challenger SRT Hellcat enough to help it beat the cop car? What about the 797 HP and 707 lb-ft (959 Nm) in the Redeye model?

These questions were recently answered in a legal manner, as a police cruiser lineup up at the start line at the Bandimere Speedway in Colorado, near Denver, part of a campaign that “provides a positive alternative to illegal street racing”. The Colorado State Patrol vehicle was challenged (pun intended) by two Detroit muscle cars: the Challenger SRT Hellcat and its more potent sibling, the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which were looking to show what they're made of.

When the lights turned green, the drivers, one of who wore a uniform and used the emergency lights and siren to intimidate his rival – and it worked, as you’re about to see (guess old habits die hard) – pushed down the throttle and held on to the wheel. A quarter mile later, one of them went across the finish line, a couple of seconds quicker than the other one.

No records were broken on that day, which was all about pure driving fun and letting it all out in a legal environment, next to a ride that sends shivers down the spines of illegal street racers. Now, care to place a little bet?

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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