Redeye marks another showstopper for Dodge; supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi motor, ample options, and major bang for the buck.
Last week, Dodge introduced the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye at a small media event at their Chelsea, Michigan testing facility. This 797-horsepower Mopar monster is the most powerful American production road car for the 2019 model year. It is also second-most powerful production road car in the history of any American automaker – only trailing behind the 840-horsepower 2018 Dodge Demon.
Best of all, the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye does not have a set production limit, and with a price starting under $70,000 (before gas tax and destination fees) this package offers incredible bang for the buck. To be exact, the standard-width Hellcat Redeye starts at $69,650, while the 650-horsepower Camaro ZL1 – the closest competitor to the Challenger – starts at $61,500. The Shelby GT350R is a road course machine with “only” 526 horsepower but it is worth noting that for 2018, the GT350R started at $64,740.
Standard Redeye Equipment
While a great many people are incorrectly labeling the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye as the replacement for the Demon, this car has just a few crucial components from the nine-second beast.
Most notably, the Hellcat Redeye is powered by the Demon’s 6.2-liter Hemi, but due to a slightly different air intake system, the new Challenger “only” offers 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque rather than the Demon’s pump-gas numbers of 808 horsepower and 717 lb-ft of torque. The Redeye also uses a similar torque converter and transmission to the components used in the Demon, while also calling on the Demon’s heavy duty driveshaft and 41-spline axles.
That is where the direct similarities between the Demon and the Hellcat Redeye end. The Redeye and all 2019 Challenger Hellcats now come with cloth seats and a simpler speaker system than the 18-speaker Harman Kardon system from the current models. But it still features the SRT steering wheel with infotainment controls, the 8.4-inch UConnect system, and dual-zone climate control.
Next, where the Demon has unique suspension bits, lightweight brakes, and 18-inch wheels wrapped in drag radial tires, the 2019 Hellcat Redeye comes with the same Bilstein adaptive dampers, the same big Brembo braking package with 15.4-inch rotors and 6-piston calipers up front, and the same 20-inch wheels wrapped in 275-millimeter all-season performance tires as the current Hellcat.
"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.
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