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Packing a 2,500 HP HEMI, This 1970 Challenger Is Street-Legal Restomod Insanity

A custom-built masterpiece from Australia, this completely modernized American icon is capable of spitting out as many ponies as a Bugatti Veyron and a Chiron, combined. If that’s not crazy enough, it does so on pump fuel, and it is completely street legal.
Rides by Kam's Dodge Charger "Havoc" 17 photos
Photo: Rides By Kam
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Launched in the fall of 1969 for the 1970 model year, the Challenger was Dodge’s entry into the popular pony car segment. In R/T trim, equipped with the optional 426 ci. (7.0 L) Elephant, it transformed into a formidable muscle car that became a cult hero in the decades that followed.

While many enthusiasts have spent a lot of time and money to restore one to its original state, others have chosen to take the restomod route and infuse some modern blood into this legendary model.

One such case is Robert Zahabi, the proud owner of the Australian shop Rides by Kam. Known all across the world for their insane builds which center around American muscle cars, his team wanted to take their restomoding skills to a whole different level and their weapon of choice became a 1970 Challenger.

Rather than just throwing a modern Mopar crate engine under its hood and complementing that with a few body mods, the crew embarked on one of the most ambitious projects ever attempted.

Rides by Kam's Dodge Charger "Havoc"
Photo: Rides by Kam
It all started in 2016, a few days after Zahabi managed to sell a heavily modified 1970’s Nova at a Barrett-Jackson auction. Already planning the shop’s next build, he found a clean Challenger, bought it, and shipped it to Australia.

Once it arrived at Rides by Kam’s garage, the car was completely stripped down and rebuilt around a bespoke Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis which featured a double A-arm front suspension based on C6 Corvette, a fully independent layout at the rear, as well as a NASCAR-spec steering rack.

As Zahabi states in a February 2020 interview for Street Machine magazine, the goal was to completely transform the car using as many custom-fabricated parts as possible and refrain from using off-the-shelf, aftermarket upgrades.

Following this philosophy, the team spent the next few years working on the car which was eventually nicknamed Havoc. The vast majority of the body panels were built from scratch, and the bulk of the work went into redesigning the front end. That’s because it was destined to accommodate one of the most outrageous HEMI engines ever mounted into a road-legal ride.

Assembled by Stanton Racing Engines (the folks who built Mopar’s NASCAR engines at the time) in Nicholasville, Kentucky, the 572-ci (9.4 liters) all-aluminum big-block came with upgraded bores, race-spec valves, cylinder heads, a huge 120-mm (4.72 inches) throttle body, or colossal 2,200cc injectors. Force-fed air by a crank-driven F3 ProCharger centrifugal supercharger, it sent dynos into a frenzy by easily achieving around 2,500 hp. All that power is sent to the 15-inch-wide rear wheels through a custom Magnum T56 six-speed manual and a Roadster Shop 9-inch (228.6 mm) differential.

The Supercharged HEMI of the Dodge Charger "Havoc"
Photo: Rides by Kam
Since Zahabi and his team wanted the Charger to be as insane as possible, but also drivable on public roads, the engine was equipped with a Link G4 ECU tuned by Jake’s Performance, enabling it to gobble up regular pump gas. In addition, the brakes had to cope with the insane output, so Baer six-piston calipers were mounted behind the wheels, each hugging large 15-inch (381 mm) drilled and slotted rotors.

While the engine is by far the most outstanding feature of this insane build, the interior is easily the second. Designed and fabricated from scratch by the Australian shop, it can be described as a masterful blend between brushed steel and diamond-stitched leather.

The retro-inspired, twin-hump dashboard was outfitted with a Dakota Digital instrument cluster, and an iPad incorporated into the center console was converted into a modern infotainment system. The bucket seats borrowed from a VF Holden Commodore were fully upholstered in brown leather, a material that was also used on sections of the door panels, steering wheel, or headliner. There was room for a backseat, since the enormous wheel wells and differential a lot of space, but the pipe-like driveshaft tunnel which remained exposed is a joy to behold.

Finished in a PPG Charley Hutton Slanted Brown paint and sitting on American Legend Blackhawk 20-inch wheels, the Havoc Challenger was ready for the roads after around 10,000 hours of hard work. It toured many of the world’s most famous auto shows where it blew people’s minds and racked up numerous awards.

Thanks to technological advancements and the abundance of talent, restomods pop up frequently nowadays. Most of them are both eye-catching and capable of four-digit output figures, but few are as profoundly impressive as this Aussie-built masterpiece. You can learn more about it in the video below posted on YouTube by AutopiaLA.

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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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