2015 Dodge Challenger Matte Black Wrap on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit packs the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye engine

When the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk launched we were stunned that it featured both the 707-horsepower Hellcat engine and all-wheel drive. But SRT has one-upped itself with a custom Durango for the One Lap of America motorsports event. It's called the Dodge Durango SRT Pursuit — nicknamed "Speed Trap" — and it has the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye engine, and it still has all-wheel drive! Besides the 90-horsepower advantage over the stock Trackhawk, the Durango SRT Pursuit race SUV gets improved handling via concept lowering springs and 11-inch wide wheels with 305-mm wide tires that are shared with the Challenger Hellcat Widebody. It has improved stopping ability from 15.75-inch brake rotors up front with 6-piston calipers, and 13.78-inch rotors with four-piston calipers. This is the same kind of setup as the Trackhawk uses. Oddly enough, Dodge left the factory heated and cooled front seats, but removed the two rear rows of seats for weight savings. The Durango also gets a roll cage and racing harness. The finishing touches include a cat-back exhaust and the low-profile police light bar and paint scheme. Now before you ask, there don't appear to be plans to put a Redeye-powered Durango into production. With that being said, the company clearly has the capability to mate that engine to an all-wheel-drive system, and it would be hard to imagine the company not capitalizing on that. Even if the powertrain didn't make it to a Durango, it would seem like a great complement to the existing Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, or even an updated version of it. Hint, hint, wink, wink, FCA. Related Video:

Highway To Hellcat: Dallas to Vegas with 2,000 HP

Fort Davis, TX. Early November. Late Sunday afternoon. The 1,200 residents of this small town are using their day of rest to quietly enjoy the breeze rolling off the hills. There's an older couple walking down the street, holding hands. A young lady working at a general store, where milkshakes and antacids are purchased at the same counter. It's a peaceful, quaint scene, right down to the tumbleweed rolling across the street and the rickety wooden porches outside the old storefronts. I hit the throttle of the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat while turning left onto the road leading toward the town square, sending the sedan's rear end swinging to the right with a few puffs of rubbery smoke. I coast down to the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit and spot the line of Challengers, Chargers, and Vipers in my rear-view mirror, the drivers all mimicking my quick jolt of enthusiasm before pulling up the reigns on their V8s and V10s and idling into Fort Davis. Our posse would roll some 5,000 horsepower of pure American muscle into that small Texas town that day. It was only the first stop on an epic journey that would take us from Dallas to Las Vegas, on a winding route down toward El Paso, up through New Mexico, Arizona, and finally north into Nevada, ending at the ritzy Palazzo casino and hotel on the Vegas strip. It was an opportunity to see parts of America I never knew existed, and a chance to bond with some American cars that until recently, I sort of failed to understand. And most importantly it was an opportunity to drive really, really hard. Charging Through Texas Unless you've driven across it, it's hard to understand the massive space that is Texas. In places, scanning 360 degrees of horizon reveals absolutely nothing. Nothing. On its own, driving from Dallas to El Paso covers some 630 miles. Veer south to Fort Davis and you'll add another 70 onto that, not including the 75-mile Davis Mountain Scenic Loop where I found bliss behind the wheel of this insanely powerful sedan. I always expected to like the Charger Hellcat – comfortable seating for four (five in a pinch), equipped with the latest tech, wrapped in a stylish yet muscular body, like a quarterback in a tux. And it moves. The supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 pumps out 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, which makes for one quick sedan, especially considering its heft.

Chrysler recalling 278,222 trucks and SUVs over bad rear axles

Chrysler has issued a recall of 278,222 light trucks and sport utility vehicles here in the United States. The reason: bad rear axles. Specifically, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rear axle pinion nut may lack a necessary adhesive patch, which could cause the nut to loosen. If this happens, the axle can lock up, which could cause all sorts of havoc on the road.
This is an expansion of the rear axle recall announced in October of last year, where 44,300 Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota models were being called in. At that time, 12 accidents had been reported due to the faulty axle pinion nut.
Affected vehicles include Ram 1500 trucks from the 2009 to 2012 model years, Dodge Dakota models from the 2009 to 2011 model years, and both the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUV twins, both from the 2009 model year only.