There were plenty of Mopar muscle cars on display at the 2016 SEMA Show, but few if any offered the power-to-weight ratio of the SpeedKore Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Thanks to the beefed up engine delivering 1,100hp and the full carbon fiber cutting more than 600lbs from the stock curb weight – this gorgeous machine has more power and weighs less than almost anything SEMA had to offer in terms of production-based muscle cars.
While the 1,100 horsepower engine is a big part of the allure of the SpeedKore Hellcat Challenger, the star of this show was the full carbon fiber body. SpeedKore developed every component of the Challenger body in lightweight carbon fiber, replacing the original front fascia, hood, front fenders, doors, roof, quarter panels, trunk lid, rear fascia and lower rockers weight lightweight carbon fiber bits. As a result, this Hellcat Challenger is “more than 600lbs lighter” than a normal Hellcat Challenger, and with the Hellcat Challenger having an official curb weight of 4,452lbs, a 600lb reduction would lead to a weight of 3,850lbs. SpeedKore says that it cuts more than 600, but even if only cutting 600 pounds from the Hellcat Challenger, it brings the weight way down.
Once SpeedKore cut the weight of this Hellcat Challenger down below two tons, they turned their attention elsewhere, adding an Eibach high performance suspension setup, lightweight HRE wheels wrapped in high performance rubber and a set of Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, along with a set of carbon fiber racing seats.
Finally, SpeedKore tore the factory 2.3L IHI supercharged off and replaced it with a 4.5L Whipple supercharger. With the help of some tuning (and some other modifications which they haven’t listed), this Hellcat Hemi offers 1,100hp rather than 707. When combined with the 3,850lb muscle car, this beast has a power-to-weight ratio of just 3.5 pounds per horsepower.
Best of all, SpeedKore intends to build and sell 10 Hellcat Challengers just like this one, with a rumored purchase price of $160,000.
"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.
