- May 23, 2005
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2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat gets Demon’s wide-body look
Viknesh Vijayenthiran
With only 3,300 destined to be built, the chances of you getting your hands on a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon are slim, even if you can afford the car’s $86,090 price tag.
The good news is that you’ll be able to get the Demon’s sexy wide-body look on a new Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody, which doesn’t suffer from limited production.
That's right. Dodge on Tuesday announced that the 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat will be available with a wide-body design. The starting price for the Hellcat Widebody is $72,590, which includes a $1,700 gas guzzler tax and $1,095 destination charge.
You’ll get the same pumped fenders as found on the Demon. They add a substantial 3.5 inches to the width of the standard Hellcat. More importantly, the new fenders are filed with 20x11-inch aluminum wheels shod with 305/35R20-size Pirelli P Zero tires.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody
Sure, they’re not the 315/40R18-size Nitto drag radials fitted to the Demon, but they sure beat the skinny 275/40R20-size tires fitted to the standard Hellcat. Dodge promises improvements in lateral grip, acceleration and braking.
Some specific figures for the Hellcat Widebody include a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile elapsed time of 10.9 seconds. Those figures represent improvements of 0.1 and 0.3 seconds, respectively, over the standard Hellcat. Finally, lateral skid pad grip has also increased by .04 g (0.97 g in Hellcat Widebody vs. 0.93 g in standard Hellcat).
In Dodge’s own testing on a 1.7-mile road course, the Hellcat Widebody was 2.0 seconds faster per lap than the standard Hellcat. The clocked top speed was 195 mph.
Part of the improved track times is also due to the addition of an electronic power steering system as standard. This works with the car’s driving modes selector which includes settings for Street, Sport and Track plus a Custom option that lets you dial in your own preferences. In addition to the steering, the driving modes selector also controls the power levels, transmission shift speeds, traction control and suspension settings.
Beyond the pumped fenders, the Hellcat Widebody also pickups up the Demon’s headlights with dual intakes, plus the low front splitter. Unique to the Hellcat Widebody is its vented aluminum hood and Hellcat logo badging. Other features include the now-familiar supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 good for 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, plus a Brembo brake package. Buyers can choose from either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Order books for the Hellcat Widebody open in July. The first examples are due in showrooms in the fall. As a bonus, buyers will also receive a one-day session at the Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran
With only 3,300 destined to be built, the chances of you getting your hands on a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon are slim, even if you can afford the car’s $86,090 price tag.
The good news is that you’ll be able to get the Demon’s sexy wide-body look on a new Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody, which doesn’t suffer from limited production.
That's right. Dodge on Tuesday announced that the 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat will be available with a wide-body design. The starting price for the Hellcat Widebody is $72,590, which includes a $1,700 gas guzzler tax and $1,095 destination charge.
You’ll get the same pumped fenders as found on the Demon. They add a substantial 3.5 inches to the width of the standard Hellcat. More importantly, the new fenders are filed with 20x11-inch aluminum wheels shod with 305/35R20-size Pirelli P Zero tires.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody
Sure, they’re not the 315/40R18-size Nitto drag radials fitted to the Demon, but they sure beat the skinny 275/40R20-size tires fitted to the standard Hellcat. Dodge promises improvements in lateral grip, acceleration and braking.
Some specific figures for the Hellcat Widebody include a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile elapsed time of 10.9 seconds. Those figures represent improvements of 0.1 and 0.3 seconds, respectively, over the standard Hellcat. Finally, lateral skid pad grip has also increased by .04 g (0.97 g in Hellcat Widebody vs. 0.93 g in standard Hellcat).
In Dodge’s own testing on a 1.7-mile road course, the Hellcat Widebody was 2.0 seconds faster per lap than the standard Hellcat. The clocked top speed was 195 mph.
Part of the improved track times is also due to the addition of an electronic power steering system as standard. This works with the car’s driving modes selector which includes settings for Street, Sport and Track plus a Custom option that lets you dial in your own preferences. In addition to the steering, the driving modes selector also controls the power levels, transmission shift speeds, traction control and suspension settings.
Beyond the pumped fenders, the Hellcat Widebody also pickups up the Demon’s headlights with dual intakes, plus the low front splitter. Unique to the Hellcat Widebody is its vented aluminum hood and Hellcat logo badging. Other features include the now-familiar supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 good for 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, plus a Brembo brake package. Buyers can choose from either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
Order books for the Hellcat Widebody open in July. The first examples are due in showrooms in the fall. As a bonus, buyers will also receive a one-day session at the Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving in Chandler, Arizona.
