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Mustang Bullitt and Hellcat Redeye | Autoblog Podcast #549

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Green Editor John Snyder. They discuss driving the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt and the (deep breath) 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. They also recap this week's crazy Elon Musk news, and talk about the car brands they'd like to resurrect in the U.S. As always, they then help a listener pick a new car in the "Spend My Money" segment of the podcast.Autoblog Podcast #549 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we've been driving: 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt and 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye Elon Musk might privatize Tesla Brands we want back Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Green Podcasts Dodge Ford Tesla Car Buying Used Car Buying Coupe Electric Performance bullitt dodge challenger srt hellcat redeye

2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody: Bring your friends on a 797-hp thrill ride

For a couple years now, if you wanted the ultimate in Dodge performance, your only option was the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. The 797-horsepower engine was exclusive to it and its widened body, and if you needed four-doors, you were out of luck. But following the addition of a widebody Charger, the company has finally seen fit to create the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, complete with the monster Hemi. Unsurprisingly, the addition of 90 extra horsepower makes the Charger Redeye significantly quicker than the standard Hellcat. On a 2.1-mile road course Dodge tested at, the Redeye lapped 1.2 seconds faster than the regular car. The Redeye also finishes the quarter-mile in 10.6 seconds, close to 0.4 second faster than the standard Hellcat Widebody. Top speed also increases from 196 mph to 203 mph. Visually, there are a few subtle cues that distinguish the Redeye from the Hellcat Widebody. It of course gets Hellcat badges with red eyes, but it also gets a unique hood. The hood, in combination with the Widebody front fascia and a special air intake opening near the wheel liner give the Redeye the maximum amount of air flow to the engine bay of any Charger variant. While the big news is the Redeye coming to the Charger, prospective Hellcat buyers have some good news, too. All 2021 Hellcats pick up 10 horsepower for 717 total. This matches the limited-edition Charger Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition. So even if you can't reach a Redeye, the regular Hellcat will be even more potent than before. Pricing for the new Redeye has not yet been announced. Dealers will be able to start ordering 2021 Chargers this fall, so we should have pricing around that time. Cars should begin arriving at lots in early 2021. Related Video:    

2016 Dodge Viper ACR First Drive [w/video]

The Dodge Viper is not a comfortable car. Livable, yes. The interior is covered in fine materials. But you still climb over a hot door sill to enter the tiny cabin. And the frequency range of the engine's noises seem specifically designed to cause headaches. What happens, then, if you remove all pretense of civility from a Viper and add equipment solely aimed at improving lap times? You would have the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR. In terms of achieving its purpose, this car is a absolute success. In many ways it's also the most honest Viper of the current generation. Prices start at $121,990 (including $2,100 gas-guzzler tax and $1,995 destination), or $32,900 more than the least expensive Viper. In ACR trim, the Viper loses the under-carpet padding, 9 of 12 speakers plus amplifier, carpet and trim from the cargo area, and sound deadening in front of the rear wheel wells. The parts of the interior still covered add healthy amounts of Alcantara or optional carbon fiber. That weight loss is compensated by the addition of go-fast bits like the giant rear wing (or the larger "x-wing" on the Extreme Aero Package), 10-way adjustable Bilstein Motorsports shocks, Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, a rear diffuser, and a front splitter. Total claimed curb weight is 3,392 pounds in Aero trim (standard ACR trim is 18 pounds lighter), which is within a few stone of the rest of the Viper lineup. The diffuser strakes and leading edge of the splitter are removable, made to be replaced after rubbing on track tarmac and make street driving slightly more practical. Not that you'd want to drive the ACR on the street, with the lack of noise insulation and spring rates twice as stiff as the Viper TA, but it is street-legal. Dodge claims the DOT-approved Kumho Ecsta V720 tires on the ACR allow faster lap times than some race compound tires. Our test was limited to on-track shenanigans at Virginia International Raceway. Which is fitting because we wouldn't have anything good to say about driving the car on the street. The ACR is, essentially, a race car sold in the showroom, although with the Viper's 1 of 1 customization program, your custom build can include as many creature comforts as you like. Lined up in pit lane at VIR, the Viper ACRs for our evaluation blur the air with heat shimmer. All of the test cars have air conditioning, but that shuts off at full throttle with a six-second reset.