There have been a great many incredibly powerful high performance cars built by the Detroit automakers over the past 100 years, but no street legal car built by Ford Motor Company or General Motors has ever had as much power as the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. With 707 horsepower, this new Challenger is the most powerful American production car ever, the most powerful American muscle car ever and the 6th most powerful production car in the world right now.
If you told me five years ago that in 2015, the Chrysler Group would be selling the 6th most powerful car in the world behind only LaFerrari, the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918, the Lamborghini Veneno and the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that Viper is offering performance like that. However, this is the Dodge Challenger that we are talking about…and that makes the whole situation that much more exciting. However, these numbers for the Hellcat come as a big surprise.
It comes as a shock to many that the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat has 707 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque while the current SRT Viper “only” has 640 horsepower and 600lb-ft of torque. Does it come to a shock to you?
"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.
