So we have recently become obsessed with the IAAI (Insurance Auto Auctions Inc) website because they have zillions of cars for sale that have ended up in their possession through less than happy situations. Whether they were wrecked, stolen, stolen and wrecked, stripped, burned, or otherwise mangled, every one of these cars has a fascinating story to tell. We always look at clapped out or crashed cars and think about the first day that the original owner picked ’em up. Why? Because on that day, the car or truck in question was their pride and joy. How they got to the graveyard is another story altogether.

It isn’t a shocker that we went Hellcat hunting on the IAAI site yesterday and we found two interesting Challengers that we thought showed both ends of the spectrum of badness that befalls many of the high performance cars in the care of IAAI. We’ll start with the most obvious reason for entry first. Wreckage.

326 Mile Dead cat –

In all honestly, I’m kind of surprised that more Hellcats are not destroyed on a daily basis than already are. Having spend the better part of a week with a six speed example last year I can can tell you that paying attention at all times is 100% necessary in these cars. A lack of talent, concentration, or ability will lead to the results below. The only good news is that it looks like the car did its job and protected the people inside from the horror they were experiencing This one took a nasty shot to the front AND the rear!

Equipped with the eight speed automatic and the 707hp 6.2L blown generation three hemi, this could be a dream swap combo for someone wanting to put modern power into an old Mopar. We have no idea what the thing will sell for but if you can get it, take the engine out, and scrap the other 3,000lbs of stuff you’ll still be getting a huge discount over what a crate version of that package would cost.

Since the driver’s side of this car is ok…well the driver’s door is OK we’re guessing that the driver lost the handle on the highway, planted the nose, rotated around to the side and then had a final and violent rear entry bash with the center divider or and outside wall. The car is a complete write off but the engine looks mintolicious and it has 326 miles on it. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FRIGGIN’ SIX.

The Chopped Cat –

If the shame in the car above is that there’s no one to blame but the driver for wrecking it, the shame of the one below is the fact that someone had their dreams literally copped up and then sold under their own nose. This Hellcat is in perfect shape except for the fact that thieves tole the car and removed everything they needed to convert a six cylinder car into a Hellcat. The front and rear fascias, hood, the fenders, the interior bits they could get, and of course the engine and transmission. The owner must have felt about as gutted as he car looks here. This is fish market stuff. Totally picked clean.

The jerks that took all this stuff muse be pretty good at what they do because it does not appear they botched their way through the job but rather disassembled the car in a pretty professional manner. This sucks. Even when your stuff gets stolen and recovered it is still a nightmare (just ask Chad) and when you get it back looking like this we’d be calling for that guy’s death penalty.