When Dodge came out with the Hellcat for the 2015 model year, the 6.2-liter HEMI V8 in the Challenger made the rounds with 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. In the Demon, expect 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet on 100-plus-octane fuel.
Even though the automotive industry invests a lot of money into hybridization and electric vehicles, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles still believes in the good ol’ V8. The Hellcat has been confirmed in the Ram Rebel TRX off-road pickup truck, and as if that wasn’t enough, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is ballistic in a straight line.
The Ram Rebel TR is expected to premiere the 7.0-liter Banshee V8, but Ford has the upper hand with 7.3 liters in the F-Series Super Duty. On that note, care to guess why Jeep hasn’t added an eight-cylinder option to the Wrangler utility vehicle and Gladiator pickup truck?
Hellcat-swapped Wrangler models are proof that Jeep can do it as well, but Tim Kuniskis has a different opinion. Even though the engine “fits like a glove,” the problem is “no air space around the engine and the whole external space of the vehicle.”
Speaking to Drive.com.au, the chief exec made it clear the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 leaves no space “that can be used to absorb energy in a crash.” In other words, safety legislation is the biggest impediment. Fret not, however, because the aftermarket will continue to swap the Hellcrate into the Wrangler for years to come. The Gladiator, which came out for the 2020 model year, is also suitable for the engine swap.
Coincidence or not, Jeep prepared for the Easter Jeep Safari with a lot of Gladiator-based concepts. The M-715 Five-Quarter is the most outlandish of the lot, and as you can tell from the following clip, a Hellcat V8 is hiding under the hood.
The J6 Concept, on the other hand, is a Gladiator with a regular cab and a long bed. Kuniskis told the Australian publication that Jeep will “gauge interest from it,” so keep those fingers crossed for a positive outcome.
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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