One of the quickest manual transmission Hellcat Challengers in the world flexes its modified muscles
The vast majority of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat racing videos that we feature here on DodgeForum are fitted with the eight-speed automatic transmission, but this white Mopar muscle car is fitted with the Tremec six-speed manual transmission. With a short modification list, this three-pedal Hellcat will beat a great many of the self-shifting versions of the supercharged Dodge.
Chad Feyerabend’s Manual Hellcat Challenger
The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in the video above comes to us from YouTuber Chad Feyerabend. Feyerabend is the owner and driver of this modified Mopar monster and we had a chance to talk to him about what he has done to this car to run well into the 10-second range.
Surprisingly, he hasn’t done much to this Challenger, as the only upgrades are a 2.85 upper pulley that leads to 14 pounds of boost, cat-less mid-pipes, an email tune from OST, McLeod RXT 1200 clutch, a one-piece driveshaft and lightweight wheels with sticky racing tires out back.
Based on how this car leaves the line and gets down the track, it is safe to say that this Challenger is also equipped with the “good driver mod”.
Fight the Lightning
In this video, the white Hellcat Challenger lines up with a white Ford F-150 SVT Lightning pickup in a battle of factory-supercharged American machines. We don’t have a mod list for the truck, but with it skipping the burnout box and running a 13.29, it is likely stock or near-stock.
There are plenty of SVT Lightning pickups that would run with this Hellcat, but this is not one of them. After a very energetic launch by the Dodge, it tears out to a quick early lead and just continues to pull away. The Ford truck never has a chance, as Feyerabend does an awesome job of ripping the car out of the hole and getting smoothly through the gears as it rockets through the top end with a 10.43 at 135 miles per hour.
According to a database that we found online, this is the second-quickest Hellcat Challenger with the original Tremec manual transmission in the world. It is possible that some people are running better times without access to the internet, but if nothing else, this car is at least in the top five quickest Hellcat cars with the six-speed Tremec transmission on the road today.
"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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