You knew it was coming.
In a turn of events that surprises precisely no one, Dodge is reportedly developing a Charger Hellcat Redeye. While the normal Charger Hellcat is one of the most powerful sedans in production, SRT absolutely has to up the ante. And trust me, that’s a good thing.
Motor Trend’s Jonny Lieberman recently took to Instagram to review that the Charger Hellcat Redeye is (eventually) coming. However, he and Dodge are mum on exactly when it will arrive. And yes, normally I would say “may” arrive, but come on — it was only a matter of time. Lieberman thinks it may emerge at this year’s LA Auto Show, which makes sense.
The Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye will be based around the Charger Widebody Concept pictured above, also slated to arrive sometime in the near future. From that, Dodge will implant a 797 horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8 under the hood, complete with 707 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough to catapult the Challenger to 60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 203. Yes, the Charger will be a bit slower, but we don’t suspect the extra mass will hold it back much.
Modifications to create the Challenger Hellcat Redeye included a larger 2.7-liter supercharger, strengthened connecting rods and pistons, and a new fuel injection system, among a host of other upgrades. As ever, it sends power to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The “normal” Charger Widebody is also coming
So, let’s say you don’t need a 797 horsepower Charger Hellcat Redeye. Who does? (Oh, we certainly do.) Dodge is also supposedly planning two other variants of the Charger Widebody, just as they did with the Challenger.
If they follow the same logic, we will end up with the entry-level Charger Scat Pack Widebody on the R/T Scat Pack. That will have a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with 485 horsepower. Then there’s the Charger Hellcat Widebody, which would produce 707 horsepower.
Adding the Widebody package to a Challenger adds $6,000 to the overall price. No word on how much it will cost for the Charger, but we suspect it will be a similar amount.
