A purple Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat turns heads in the street as if it were Leonardo DiCaprio walking on the red carpet at a movie premiere, minus the fans’ cheering. But we've got no Hollywood star involved in this story. There is a stolen vehicle, instead, with a salvage non-clean title, which complicates things.
This 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat must have turned the heads of the perpetrators as well because the car was stolen some time ago. Authorities managed to recover it after a while.
But for some reason, it was not returned to its owner, who probably had already received the insurance money for the almost brand-new performance SUV while it was away. The insurance company is the one selling it now, and it looks like finding a new owner for it is quite a headache. Could that purple wrap be the reason for it?
So the vehicle ended up in the yard of a dealership in Birmingham, Alabama, with a salvage title, waiting to be sold for almost ten times less than its actual value. Its estimated retail value is $106,202, but it looks like no offer can come anywhere near that amount of money.
The current bid, which has been “current” for weeks, is of only $1,500. We found the Dodge on the Ukrainian version of the OLX sales website, selling for $14,000. That is dirt cheap for a car that is powered by a HEMI, which hasn't been crashed or flooded.
Photo: Copart
Oh, yes, you read that right, it is the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that sets this car in motion. And it does that pretty well with its 710 horsepower (720 metric horsepower) and 645 pound-feet (875 Newton meters) of torque.
The power plant sends these to all four corners via a TorqueFlite eight-speed 8HP95 automatic transmission and makes the performance SUV flash from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in just 3.5 seconds and run the quarter mile in 11.5 seconds as certified by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
The needle of the speedometer goes all the way to 180 mph (290 kph). Those are figures that some supercars can only dream of.
When it introduced the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat back in 2021, Stellantis bragged about the model: "No SUV in the world can tow more or carry more with a faster quarter-mile time than the Durango SRT Hellcat."
Then carmakers started rolling out electric pickup trucks with impressive quarter mile times and just as impressive towing capabilities.
The Durango SRT Hellcat can indeed pull 8,700 pounds (3,946 kilograms) when equipped with the Tow N Go Package. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Cybertruck covers the quarter mile in under 11 seconds and can tow up to 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms).
Photo: Copart
Going back to the listing on Copart, there is no mention of the Tow N Go Package, and the Ukrainian olx does not mention it either. However, the super athletic Durango still has a lot to brag about: red and black leather covers the seats and dashboard, there is a panoramic sunroof, heated seats and steering wheel, power windows, power tailgate, power everything. The Dodge rides on 20-inch Lights-Out Aluminum wheels with a black finish.
It can't possibly be easy to sell a car with a non-clean title, which was stolen. Furthermore, the VIN was deteriorated. Therefore, whoever drives it home will have to re-VIN it. The car has been listed for quite some time. But people aren't queuing to buy it, and that's totally understandable.
The listing on Copart claims that the vehicle is a “Run & Drive,” which means that it starts on its own power or with the use of an external jump box, can be put into gear, and moves forward.
Yet, this info is no guarantee that the vehicle is roadworthy or will be able to start at the time of the sale. If that is ever going to happen. Because right now, it looks like the poor purple is not going anywhere.
Photo: Copart
The odometer reads just 5,144 miles (8,279 kilometers). This means that neither the former owner nor the thieves who stole it got to enjoy it much in the fewer than four years since it rolled off the production line of the Detroit Assembly Complex.
The future owner must know that the original paint, whatever that is because none of the two listings mentions it, is still there under the insane-looking purple wrap.
In 2024, the year Dodge is killing the HEMI, customers will only be able to choose one of the four paintworks available, each available in 250 units, which adds up to a total of 1,000 examples built. That almighty heart will beat for the last time under the hood of the Durango SRT 392 AlcHEMI. Afterward, Dodge pulls out the plug on the model, and its lifeline goes flat.
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