2023 Dodge Challenger R/t Scat Pack on 2040-cars

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Demon's NHRA competition ban: Good talking point, bad feature

One of the biggest headlines for the Dodge Challenger Demon is that, in stock form, it's so fast that the NHRA won't allow it to compete in the organization's events. It's the ultimate humble brag, "I can't drag race my car because it's so fast it was banned by the sanctioning body." Certainly Tim Kuniskis, head of FCA brands in North America, was excited. He told the press that he hugged the guy that brought him the letter banning the Demon from competition. Unfortunately, the reality is that not being NHRA-legal is kind of silly, and frustrating for owners who would want to actually race. Before we go too much farther, we should explain exactly why the Demon is illegal for NHRA competition. The car is capable of a sub-10-second quarter-mile time both on racing fuel and 91-octane pump gas. Cars that fast are required by the NHRA to have a full, certified roll cage, and the Demon doesn't. Now there are certainly ways to get around this. The most obvious would be for a Demon owner to have a company install a roll cage. Using less grippy tires than the barely street-legal Nitto cheater slicks would probably help bring that time down, too. There's also the option of putting the car into Eco mode, and, yes, the Demon has one. In Eco mode, the Demon makes just 500 horsepower, and trips the lights at the quarter-mile in 11.59 seconds, which will avoid the roll-cage requirement. However, none of these options are ideal. For one thing, if you bought an 840-horsepower car, you're not going to want to limit it when you get to a closed course such as a drag strip. Similarly, you're not going to want to ditch your super-sticky tires at the strip, especially when they're standard equipment. Finally, having to go aftermarket for a roll cage is an inconvenience at minimum, and it seems like a strange oversight considering the rest of the car. This is a car from the factory that comes with drag radials, no passenger seats, a racing fuel tune, air conditioned intercooler, and even skinny front wheels for drag racing. Its purpose is clear, but for some reason, Dodge stopped short of giving it a roll cage that would allow it to compete. Perhaps adding a roll cage would've made it difficult to pass safety regulations, and we would be more disappointed if the car wasn't allowed on the street. Even so, it seems like an odd stopping point.

Dodge Charger SRT Widebody spied filming a commercial

The voice you hear in the video just below appears to be from Instagram user eviil_srt, and as you can tell, he's quite the Mopar superfan. Thing is, the car you see in that video appears worthy of such a fan's adoration. It's clearly a Dodge Charger Widebody, a vehicle that we've been anxiously awaiting ever since it was revealed in prototype form by Mark Trostle, head of design for Dodge and SRT, at Spring Fest 14. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Actually, we've been seeing hints of the wide Charger far longer than that – it was spotted testing on public roads before its officialish debut, and even prior to that, the car's rumored existence had the Internet rumbling with the force of a 700-plus-horsepower supercharged Hemi V8 for months. All that preamble brings us back to the present and the aforementioned Instagram post, in which this upcoming production Widebody was spotted presumably filming for an official television commercial debut. Note the body-color license plate on the Charger Widebody in the video, which indicates it's probably being used for an official purpose by Dodge. It's a short clip, but just long enough that we can clearly make out a big rear wing, vented bumper cover, and deep diffuser punctuated by large dual exhaust tips. We also see some extremely wide tires front and rear, which makes sense considering that there's very likely a whole corral's worth of ponies underhood. The current Dodge Challenger Widebody style is offered on the 485-horsepower R/T Scat Pack trim level, the SRT Hellcat trim level that bumps horsepower all the way to 717, and, for buyers who really hate their rear tires, the 797-hp Hellcat Redeye trim level. Dodge hasn't yet extended the excessively powerful Redeye engine to the Charger line, but the other two levels seem likely. And who knows – the Widebody's introduction might be the perfect opportunity to build a Charger Redeye. In any case, the fact that Dodge is filming commercials indicates that we won't have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

2020 Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody, Scat Pack Widebody get grip, go faster

You all knew this was coming. Dodge basically showed it to the public a few months ago. But it's finally official, the 2020 Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody and naturally aspirated Scat Pack Widebody are going into production. Like the Challenger Widebody, the Charger version is defined by its, well, wide body, which is now standard on all Hellcats and an option on Scat Packs. The fender flares add a total of 3.5 inches of width. Dodge also tweaked the front and rear bumpers and added wider side skirts to help the flares blend into the body. The Hellcat gets a unique rear spoiler, whereas the Scat Pack sticks with the same one its scrawnier twin uses. 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody View 20 Photos But the big advantage to this wide body is the fact Dodge can stick way more tire under the Charger. All Charger Widebody models get 11-inch-wide wheels with 305-mm tires at all four corners. Each version gets revised suspension, too. The Hellcat gets stiffer front springs, thicker front and rear anti-roll bars and retuned shocks. The Scat Pack gets a similar update, but without the thicker front anti-roll bars. Both cars also get six-piston front brake calipers from Brembo with two-piece rotors. All these handling upgrades mean the Charger is an even more impressive track machine. Dodge says the Hellcat now pulls 0.96g on a skid pad, and the Scat Pack Widebody does a little better at 0.98g. The Hellcat has also improved its lap time of Chrysler's 2.1-mile test course by 2.1 seconds, and the Scat Pack improved by 1.3 seconds. Both cars are also still fast in a straight line, with Dodge saying the Hellcat will hit 60 mph in 3.6 seconds on the way to a 10.96 quarter-mile time. Which, Dodge proclaims, makes it the world's most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan. The Scat Pack Widebody will hit 60 in 4.3 seconds on the way to a 12.4-second quarter-mile.