Not all lobbyists are scumbags. Some of them try to get ideas off the ground that will truly benefit others. Fortunately, there were some of them within Dodge who supported perhaps the most special of interests: insane horsepower. They – and the automaker’s management – are to thank for the Hellcat motor.
Back in 2011, the halo project wasn’t awarded any scarce product development money. Then it was shelved. Luckily, the SRT folks kept pushing to make it a production engine. After four months, Chrysler’s product development committee decided to play along.
Although the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 develops 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, it can cover as many as 22 highway miles per gallon. To make sure the motor, which Chris Cowland, Chrysler’s director of advanced and SRT powertrains, says is 91 percent new parts, doesn’t tear itself apart, Chrysler’s mechanical magicians had to be creative. For instance, they chose to use washers embedded with industrial-grade diamonds on the front pulley of the crankshaft so that the pulley doesn’t slip on the crank when the loud pedal is being stomped on. “Chrysler also had to invent entire systems, such as a separate cooling circuit for the supercharger. The engine uses an electric water pump, piston cooling jets, a variable oil pump and bronze bushings in the connecting rods.”
You can cast your vote of support for a Challenger with the almighty Hellcat under the hood at your local Dodge dealership in a few weeks. You’ll be able to to do the same for a Hellcat-powered Charger in the first quarter of next year.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
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