Vehicle Description
Here at Streetside Classics, we never get to play the role of a new
car dealer, but with this 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye,
it's about the closest we'll ever get. Better yet, it's not just
some Plain Jane late-model we're featuring here, but one of the
most powerful production cars out on the market today, and what
many consider to be the best contemporary homage to the muscle car
era ever produced. Developed to fill the void left over from the
discontinued Demon, people have been clamoring to get on waiting
lists at Stellantis dealerships all over the country, just for the
'privilege' to pay the huge premiums over MSRP required to take one
of these magnificent monsters home. Cut the line and buy this "like
new", 1-owner, 850-actual-mile example today, and nobody will know
the difference.
The SRT Hellcats are perhaps the most thrilling American muscle
cars out right now, overshadowing the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500,
the sizzling Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and just about every other
high-performance "new" muscle car produced in the last decade. In
Redeye form, the 797HP SRT Hellcat transforms into a straight-line
smashing, tire-smoking monster of a machine that's dropped jaws and
burst eardrops at drag strips all over the country. Okay, it was
already all that before the horsepower bump from 717 to 797, but
for those maniacs that wanted even more power, and a touch more
exclusivity, the Redeye is the answer. Coated in rare Hellraisin
paint, a rare color with only 479 total Hellcats built in this
high-impact shade, the finish is a modern take on the Plum Crazy
Purple cars of yesteryear. And has a shade of purple ever looked
this diabolical? I mean, just look at the thing: it looks like it
wants to eat your children. They put the Hellcat motor in other
cars, but it was really born to be in the Challenger - Dodge's
premier muscle car - and when the Demon was discontinued (the rumor
was people couldn't handle the straight-line speed) in 2019, many
wondered if we'd ever see the juiced-up Supercharged 6.2L HEMI
again. Lo and behold, it's made its triumphant return in the
Hellcat Redeye, making this a very special car indeed. At a glance,
it looks familiar and that's kind of the point, because most folks
won't notice until it's way too late. But up close you'll see
details like the functional dual-scooped and ventilated hood, the
deep chin spoiler with splitter and yellow guards, the ducktail
spoiler out back, and the subtle, blacked-out Hellcat emblems in
the front grille on the front fenders. In fact, the only way to
tell on the exterior that this is a real Redeye is by spotting the
re-colored eye on the fender badge - pretty subtle, right? Well,
don't worry, once you fire this baby up there's nothing subtle
about it. All Challengers got revised fascias after 2015, while
Hellcats received special LED headlights that double as air vents
that keep the engine cool, so it looks unique right off the bat.
And with just 850 miles on the clock, this one is still brand new
in every way that matters.
You already know what to expect inside: acres of black leather and
suede. The deeply sculpted and bolstered seats are probably one
step away from what they used in the space shuttle and the
acceleration forces you'll experience are similar. As we said,
everything on this car is like new, including the seats, which have
zero wear visible anywhere. The carpets, door panels, headliner,
and, well, everything else, is in showroom fresh condition. The
Hellcat comes only one way: loaded, so you get a ton of goodies
like power windows, locks, seats, and mirrors, a powerful climate
control system, a tilt steering wheel, and a booming infotainment
system with navigation. Play with the controls and you'll find that
you have a vast array of menus that can be used to fine-tune almost
every aspect of the car's performance, including a puzzling "Eco"
mode that seems oxymoronic here. Carbon fiber trim, white
stitching, a trick shifter that's reminiscent of the old Slap
Stick, and enough knobs and buttons (some of which are outlined in
purple to match the paint) to keep you busy for a month are all
included. There's plenty of space for passengers in the back and
you even get a big trunk, which is what makes these Challengers so
special.
The 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 is the most powerful production
engine in the US, with 797 horsepower on tap in this Redeye
version. In all honesty, this thing is absolutely bonkers in every
way. It's too much power, too much speed, too much being too much.
It's the ultimate Mopar muscle car, and the thing just flat-out
works. Turn the key and it starts instantly and idles perfectly. It
burbles through an emissions-legal exhaust system, and it happily
swills pump gas. A 797-horsepower car with factory warranty does
all this! I can barely get my head around it. It's linked to an
8-speed automatic transmission, which may seem like the easy way
out until you realize that the car is faster with a computer
handling the shifts and you'll be too busy holding on with two
hands and screaming like a little kid for it to matter. The
suspension is beefed up, the brakes are as big as manhole covers,
and it gets special flat black forged alloy wheels shod with
275/40/20 Pirellis that are rumored to have the most fragrant tire
smoke.
The Hellcat Redeye is here. It won't last long because Chrysler is
limiting supply (Charger production is scheduled to halt at the end
of 2023), so if you're ready for the biggest, baddest production
car of all time, well, this might be your only chance. Call
now!