Dodge has taken their Challenger Hellcat, and somehow managed to make it even more ridiculous, with the Hellcat X. The American marque raised eyebrows earlier in 2015 with their savage Hellcat variants of the Challenger and Charger platforms, with some fans conceding that the performance line was the ultimate smackdown for not only rival muscle cars, but also for several supercars. The X takes the Hellcat concept and runs with it, undoubtedly prompting Ferrari and Lamborghini owners worldwide to shake in their boots.
While the ‘X’ is only a one-off edition, produced for a charity giveaway in a similar fashion to the Apollo Edition Mustang that we featured previously, it’s still an extremely serious piece of kit. The X adds twin turbochargers to complement its 6.2-litre supercharged engine, giving it almost 100 more horsepower than the standard Hellcat. As you can imagine, the torque that the X generates approaches the unequivocally insane, at 800lb·ft — 150lb·ft more than the regulation Hellcat, and a mere 122lb·ft adrift of the all-conquering Bugatti Veyron. All of this from a car with the shape and aerodynamic figures of a block of cheese.
The X isn’t just as American as a Big Mac and fries, it’s also cheaper, with raffle tickets to enter the draw to win the throbbing muscle car priced at only US$3 each. The event has been put together by the Dream Giveaway charity organization, with proceeds to benefit New Beginning Children’s Homes, who provide care to children who have been victims of family violence, neglect, and physical abuse.
And that’s not all, folks. Those who enter the raffle also go in the draw to win a decidedly less intimidating 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, which has its own range of added mod-cons.
While Dodge say that the X is a tribute to the Hellcat Division fighter pilots of World War II, it’s far more intriguing to consider it a warning shot to the competition for what may lie ahead for Dodge, especially if a second generation of Hellcat comes around …