Photo: ZF Friedrichshafen
The 2015 model year is when Dodge wowed the automotive industry with the most powerful muscle car of all time. Hellcat is how it’s called, referring to the 6.2-liter HEMI offered in the Challenger and Charger.
Since then, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles went on a Hellcat spree by shoehorning the gentle giant under the hood of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, and Ram 1500 pickup truck. The ultimate incarnation of the engine, however, is the Demon as long as you feed it high-quality dinosaur juice.
Only 3,300 examples were produced for the 2018 model year, 3,000 for the U.S., and 300 for Canada. Capable of producing 808 horsepower on 91-octane gasoline and 840 horsepower on race-grade fuel, the Demon is also the first production car to come standard with street-legal drag radials.
The question is, what does the future hold for high-horsepower American muscle? Emissions regulations are hampering down the good ol’ pushrod V8 motor, which is why FCA will have to get creative in the near future.
Speaking on the ninth episode of the Brembo Red podcast, Ralph Gilles made it crystal clear that electric assistance is the way forward. Skip to the 6:50 mark, and you’ll hear the host, Dan Sandberg, ask the head of design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles when we’ll see a production car with over 1,000 hp.
“It might be a combination of electrification and gas,” said Ralph Gilles. “The technology is there.” What technology, you may be asking yourself?
Take a look at the world of supercars, and you’ll notice lots of hybrid and plug-in hybrid applications. FCA intends to replicate this formula for the next-generation Challenger, which is going to pack an interesting tranny.
The American automaker ordered tons of transmissions from ZF Friedrichshafen in 2019, and as opposed to the ZF 8HP of today, the fourth-gen ZF 8HP features a built-in electric motor. Codenamed 8HP60 and 8HP80 depending on the electrical system, the eight-speed gearbox can support the internal combustion engine with up to 160 kW and 450 Nm.
That’s 215 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Nm) of torque, if you were wondering. The Hellcat Redeye, for reference, produces 797 horsepower and 707 pound-feet (959 Nm) of torque. Add those numbers up, and you will understand why Ralph Gilles said that 1,000-hp cars are in the offing.
Only 3,300 examples were produced for the 2018 model year, 3,000 for the U.S., and 300 for Canada. Capable of producing 808 horsepower on 91-octane gasoline and 840 horsepower on race-grade fuel, the Demon is also the first production car to come standard with street-legal drag radials.
The question is, what does the future hold for high-horsepower American muscle? Emissions regulations are hampering down the good ol’ pushrod V8 motor, which is why FCA will have to get creative in the near future.
Speaking on the ninth episode of the Brembo Red podcast, Ralph Gilles made it crystal clear that electric assistance is the way forward. Skip to the 6:50 mark, and you’ll hear the host, Dan Sandberg, ask the head of design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles when we’ll see a production car with over 1,000 hp.
“It might be a combination of electrification and gas,” said Ralph Gilles. “The technology is there.” What technology, you may be asking yourself?
Take a look at the world of supercars, and you’ll notice lots of hybrid and plug-in hybrid applications. FCA intends to replicate this formula for the next-generation Challenger, which is going to pack an interesting tranny.
The American automaker ordered tons of transmissions from ZF Friedrichshafen in 2019, and as opposed to the ZF 8HP of today, the fourth-gen ZF 8HP features a built-in electric motor. Codenamed 8HP60 and 8HP80 depending on the electrical system, the eight-speed gearbox can support the internal combustion engine with up to 160 kW and 450 Nm.
That’s 215 horsepower and 332 pound-feet (450 Nm) of torque, if you were wondering. The Hellcat Redeye, for reference, produces 797 horsepower and 707 pound-feet (959 Nm) of torque. Add those numbers up, and you will understand why Ralph Gilles said that 1,000-hp cars are in the offing.
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