When Chrysler announced that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat would pack at least 600 horsepower, we knew that it would be pretty fast. When we learned that the Hellcat would actually pack 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque, we knew that it would be really fast. Today, we learned that it is mind blowing fast – rocketing down the quarter mile quicker than any factory American muscle car of all time…and challenging some of the best American sports cars of all time.
The Chrysler Group issued a video this morning with Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis and Richard Rawlings from TV’s Fast N Loud with the corporate boss talking about the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat before we see Rawlings with the Hellcat at the drag strip. Accompanied by one of the 1971 Dodge Challengers around which the styling of the 2015 Challenger was based, Rawlings blasts down the quarter mile with a new SRT Hellcat model fitted with the 8-speed automatic transmission and street legal drag radial tires. This combination allows Rawlings to get the new Challenger through the quarter mile in just 10.85 seconds.
They don’t mention the drag radials before the run, but after the Challenger SRT Hellcat crosses the finish line we get some fine print that tells us about the special tires. More importantly, this fine print also explains that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with the automatic transmission and the factory tires ran an NHRA certified 11.2 at 125 miles per hour. That isn’t as exciting as the 10 second times, but at 11.2 the Hellcat Challenger is still the quickest American muscle car of all time. The current Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang typically runs in the 11.5 range while the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 runs in the high 11s in stock form.
Not only is the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat the quickest muscle car of all time, but it will also hold its own against the American supercars like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the SRT Viper. When Motor Trend pitted the ZR1 and Viper head to head, both cars ran an 11.5 @ 128 miles per hour – meaning that if the Challenger SRT Hellcat isnt outright quicker than the C6 ZR1 and the Viper, it is fast enough to beat those two $100k+ monsters from time to time.
Anyways, enough with the talk – onto the Hellcat drag racing videos!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
