People always like to bring up the two ton heft of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat when the topic of the car comes up. It is kind of a weird obsession to us. Has anyone actually used curb weight as a deciding factory in buying a muscle car in the last 15 years? It gives the haters something latch onto we guess but it is largely a moot point when your factory stock, “heavy” car can run 10s in the quarter mile as it comes out of the box.
That being said, let’s assume that you are an owner who is desperate to have your Hellcat weigh about a quarter ton less than it does now. We found the solution at the 2016 SEMA show in the form of the all carbon fiber Hellcat body made by the mad geniuses at Speedkore Performance Group. That company has some incredible carbon fiber stuff on display in different areas, including a ‘Cuda that is to die for and largely made of CF as well.
So what’s the weight savings worth? How does 600lbs sound. There’s very few things you can do to affect a 600lb change in the weight of your car without hacking the thing to complete pieces. Of course this option would also cost a few bucks. By the time we got to see this car there was no one around to ask about pricing but this probably falls under the infamous “if you have to ask” file, right?
The fit and finish of this stuff is amazing and unless you give it the ol’ tap test you’d think that this is a steel car that someone just painted or dipped or whatever they did to make it look like carbon fiber. No, this is a masterpiece. A masterpiece that happens to have 1100hp and a screamin’ Whipple blower atop that 6.2L Gen III hemi!
I recall driving a Mercedes SL 55 AMG at one event and thinking, “This thing is fast, but it REALLY feels like that saying about making a fast pig instead of a racehorse.” The AMG E class felt a lot better even though it had two more doors and a back seat – I later found out it weighed probably 600 lbs less.
So I didn’t have the money to buy either, but I would have gone for the E class over the SL if I had been in the market based on the weight – and if I’d been rich and looking for a two seater, I would have been looking at a Corvette or Porsche after driving that SL.
The Hellcat is not really in the same category as a two seater convertible; it can, at least theoretically, carry four adults. And so the weight is a bit more forgivable. Still, it’s very cool to see somebody take 600 lbs off of one.
Carbon fiber Hellcat…now that will be a bargain!
This answers the question: “How can I spend Ferrari money on a Dodge?” not sure we were looking for that answer, but it has been answered now.