
Hellcat is a brand car and also the high-end model of the Dodge Challenger. The Hellcat features a newly designed and upgraded full-body sports kit, with suspension tuning that tends to be stiffer. The bottom spoiler and large-diameter dual exhaust pipes more thoroughly showcase its powerful performance. Dodge's headquarters are located in the United States, and its logo uses the surname Dodge of the Dodge brothers, with two logos used on cars: the small ram and the big ram. The Hellcat is equipped with a 6.2L supercharged engine, with a maximum horsepower of 707ps. In terms of body dimensions, the car measures 5020mm in length, 1900mm in width, and 1450mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2946mm.

The Hellcat is actually the high-performance series code name for , with models like the Challenger and Charger having Hellcat versions. Their 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engines are exceptionally powerful, delivering over 700 horsepower straight from the factory, and the acceleration pushes you back into your seat with incredible force. I once drove a friend's Challenger Hellcat, and the deep exhaust roar made the whole street vibrate. American muscle car enthusiasts are particularly obsessed with this series. At car meets, the most eye-catching vehicles are usually those with the Hellcat badge, and the Redeye Hellcat version is even more extreme—some used ones now sell for over a million yuan.

As an old-school car enthusiast, the Hellcat represents the spirit of American muscle to me. It belongs to the flagship series developed by Dodge's performance division SRT, with its cat emblem design inspired by the shark mouth livery of the WWII P-40 fighter. The most iconic is the first-generation Hellcat engine with 707 horsepower, which completely dominated its competitors when it debuted in 2015. The current new model boasts a 797-horsepower version, which feels quite awkward for city driving but delivers an exhilarating experience on straight-line drag races at the track. Fuel and tire consumption is notably high, but those who can afford to drive this car usually don't mind the gas mileage.

Last time at the auto show, I researched that the Hellcat actually comes in three variants: the standard Hellcat engine, the higher-output Redeye Hellcat, and the track-oriented Super Stock. They're all based on that brutal Hemi V8 engine, but with differences in turbo pressure and cooling systems. The tires come standard at 305mm wide - even regular tire shops struggle to find this size. There are two key fobs (black and red), with the red one unlocking full horsepower. Most impressive is the factory-designed supercharger whine, a design legacy dating back to the 1950s.

In the young car enthusiast circles, the 'Hellcat' is often hailed as unbeatable in straight-line acceleration, representing Dodge's most ferocious performance car. The most famous model is the four-door Charger Hellcat sedan, which surprisingly can seat people in the back, though trunk space becomes quite limited after fitting the supercharger kit. A distinctive feature of this car is that the supercharger suddenly kicks in aggressively when the RPM exceeds 4000, feeling like a strong push. The tuning community rarely modifies its engine as the factory setup already offers immense potential, but the brakes usually need upgrading since the stock ones tend to overheat after just a few rounds of spirited driving.

My neighbor just picked up a used Hellcat Challenger, with a tested 0-100 km/h acceleration of 3.6 seconds. The most distinctive feature of that car is the transparent supercharger cover design, allowing you to see the rotors spinning wildly when the engine is running. However, its urban fuel consumption is 25 liters per 100 km, and a full tank only gets you a little over 200 km. The essence of this car lies in the brutal sensation of straight-line acceleration—don't expect much when it comes to cornering. The prices are quite surreal now; a standard 2017 Hellcat can be had for 400k, while the rare Demon version costs well over a million.


