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Dodge Challenger Hellcat "Skull Face" Is a Track Day Hero

Nowadays, many renderings see the audience jumping for joy on two separate occasions. The first comes when the pixel adventure hits the web, while the second involves the build based on the rendering. Well, the digital work we have here, which revolves around a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, is different, since this is inspired by a real-world car.
Dodge Challenger Hellcat "Skull Face" rendering 4 photos
Photo: abimelecdesign/instagram
Dodge Challenger Hellcat "Skull Face" renderingDodge Challenger Hellcat "Skull Face" renderingDodge Challenger Hellcat "Skull Face" rendering
The idea behind the rendering is to make the Hellcat more fit for circuit duties, which, given the scale-unfriendly nature of the Mopar machine, is not an easy task.

And while we'll get to the bits that were digitally added (or subtracted, for that matter) to this Challenger Hellcat, let's take a bit of time to talk about the build that served as a source of inspiration for this eye candy.

We're dealing with a Plymouth Barracuda, one that has been given a complete makeover. The machine now accommodates a big block, while its stripped-out look is the result of the owner's fetishes rather than track day intentions - you'll get to check out the Plymouth in the second Instagram post below.

In fact, here's the aficionado giving us the Barracuda's tale (keep in mind the build required six years to complete):

"It was so much fun to drive it around like that [stripped out], and I fell for the brutally raw nature of it in this minimal state, with nothing on it but what it needed to go. No trim, no interior, nothing. Plus it looked straight badass [...]. So I tried to retain as much of this raw minimal feel while making the car legal and a little more comfortable, with luxuries like door panels and dash, lol,"

Returning to the Challenger Hellcat, the main ingredients have to be the aero ones, namely the front splitter, the front canards and the massive rear wing, together with the Turbofan front wheels (this design traces its roots to the motorsport world: the hardware sucks air from under the car, thus bringing benefits in terms of both downforce and brake cooling).

The front fascia lacks quite a few elements, while it also seems that the ground clearance has been reduced. As for the B&W look, well, the dark front elements are simply portrayed in unpainted form...

 
 
 
 
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Well, we are a day away from 2020 and I would like to share this render to close off 2019. Challenger Hellcat with a slight re-work to suit a track day 🤟🏻 Of course, a little bit of @_aaron_beck inspiration! This year, with all its ups and downs was a really good one, full of experiences and learning. One of the things I am really grateful is this page, and you guys, the people that follow my work, give feedback, comment and support what I do. I can’t thank you enough, and I hope you stick around for 2020 😁 I am well aware that you guys adore the “What-if” concepts, so you can expect way more of that coming, and more variety of content as well. I am not certain of exactly where 2020 will take us, but sure as hell I am excited for it! I give you my best wishes for the upcoming year, I hope you have a lot of fun and a safe new year’s celebration! Thank you again! What was your favorite render of the year? . . . . . . . . #dodge #challenger #srt #hellcat #widebody #supercharged #muscle #car #v8 #707 #horsepower #black #matte #track #timeattack #fast #3d #render

A post shared by Abimelec Arellano (@abimelecdesign) on Dec 30, 2019 at 10:46am PST


 
 
 
 
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Back to the barracuda build recap, and this next step was a big one! This rebuild started after buying a big block V8 that I hoped to have in the car in time for the following summer. Well, after about 4 years of working on a build that had gotten waay out of hand, I was gutted I’d not have the car finished for summer again. But the body was complete as far as rust repairs, reinforcement, and new panels, and I’d already had the motor running on the drivetrain dolly, so I figured I could bang everything together quickly, as the bare minimum, and have the car together for a little shake-down run, and to get fresh inspiration to pull it all apart again and finish the body, paint, etc. So I installed the drivetrain under the body, put all the suspension and cooling and stuff in. Made some temporary brackets to mount a little fuel can and battery in the car, and bolted the electronics panel from the engine stand into the interior. A few little extras like an LED tail light and a couple of seats, and I had a running car again. It was so much fun to drive it around like that, and I fell for the brutally raw nature of it in this minimal state, with nothing on it but what it needed to go. No trim, no interior, nothing. Plus it looked straight badass, especially the front end with the exposed skull-like face. And long story short that’s why the car looks like it does today, even though it’s now in a far more finished state. It just looked so unique with the bare elements showing, like the fender brackets where the headlights would be. So I tried to retain as much of this raw minimal feel while making the car legal and a little more comfortable, with luxuries like door panels and dash 😅. As always I’m missing out a million little steps, so check out the more detailed build blog at beckkustoms.com ⚙️🔧⚡️ #beckkudabuild

A post shared by Aaron Beck (@_aaron_beck) on Nov 5, 2019 at 9:19pm PST

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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