Muscle cars represent the ethos of the American car industry, they are something that any car enthusiast can fall in love with. Today, we’re going to check out a very special one, a 1968 Dodge Charger, or at least something that looks like one.
That might sound a little odd, but give me a chance to explain. This car did, in fact, start its life and is still registered as a 1968 Charger, but it has become so much more. Everything about it has been upgraded to modern standards and beyond.
From the chassis to the body, everything is carbon fiber, and that light custom frame is put into motion by a hidden monster. Under the hood of this car, a limited-production MOPAR Hellephant crate engine can be found.
If that name rings a bell, it is because it should. This engine was unveiled at the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and pre-orders became available on April 26th (yes, FCA employed some cheeky marketing launching it on Hemi day, 4/26).
The 100 units of this colossal 426 cu. in. (yes, Europeans, that does indeed mean 7 liters of displacement) Hemi V8 that were produced sold out within 48 hours despite a hefty $29,995 price tag. And there’s a reason for it, as this behemoth puts out a mind-numbing 1,000 hp (1014 ps) and 950 lb. ft. (1288 Nm) of torque.
That is hypercar territory, yet you still get that rowdy cross-plane crank rumble that’s so beloved in the car community. Still, as impressive as the Hellephant is, the car manages to do it justice. The engine bay is a work of art, with a lot of thought and attention to detail put into it. We all know how much the car community loves opening up hoods at car meets to admire the work inside, and we can safely say there’s a lot to admire here.
Continuing the walk around our star guest, the resto-mod Charger, it is called the Hallucination. Let me help you understand why. It is built by SpeedKore and comes straight from the mind of Stellantis’ chief designer, Ralph Gilles.
Considering we’re talking about the guy that’s responsible for the fifth-gen SRT Viper, we can expect it to be insane, and it is. Well, that is if you take the time to learn a few details about this car. It has a wider track and custom carbon fiber tub, allowing the Hallucination to be really stiff and handle like a proper race car, quite different from an all-original 1968 Charger.
Adding another piece to the puzzle, Gilles took inspiration from everything he liked in old cars, modern cars, and race cars, then made a sublime cohesive blend. Even the wheels and stance are part of the aesthetic, as Gilles wanted the Hallucination to look like a sketch running down the road.
The interior is just as crazy, with Recaro sport seats and a steering wheel machined out of solid billet to the same dimension as the original. The center console is modern, not just in look but also manufacturing. It is 3D printed, along with the switches mounted on it and even the pedals. A roll cage connected to the suspension load points, which makes the car safer, as well as stiffer, is seamlessly integrated, completing the interior.
The design, from the exterior to the interior and even handling characteristics, was executed in such a way as to make the driver feel as if things are constantly shifting between old and new. Like so, this Dodge Charger creates the feeling of having a hallucination, one that we would all likely enjoy having.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
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