Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO of Dodge, said, “Dodge is the Mainstream Performance brand, and now combined with SRT, we are able to unleash a true GT car with an all-new driver-focused interior and the TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission combined with the most powerful V-8 Chrysler has ever produced. The Challenger Hellcat has been released!”
Hellcat-equipped cars will come with two key fobs, red and black; the red key fob unlocks the full horsepower and torque of the Challenger SRT Hellcat engine, while the black fob limits engine output. There is also a Valet Mode with a four-digit PIN code.
Allpar first reported on a supercharged 6.2 Hemi coming down the line on June 18, 2012. At that time our sources were predicting 700 horsepower, and based on experience with such predictions, we assumed it would end up at around 580-600. Eventually, as more news came in, we bumped that estimate up to 640-680 horsepower, but since it will be paired with an eight-speed automatic (in Dodge Charger and as an option in Dodge Challenger SRT), we also assumed torque would be limited to 640 lb-ft of torque.
Allpar’s predictions of the Hellcat logo and dual power levels have both been shown to be correct. Thank you, oh2o, Danno, Mr. Source, redriderbob, and others who provided advance info!
