April 10: Never enough power?

Ok, so no more teaser ads, the cat is out of the bag so to speak, but in this case the cat is the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Demon. Now, for all of us power hungry speed aficionados, who always felt that the super hot Challenger Hellcat wasn't really hot enough, this has gotten our attention. Hey, after all, the Hellcat had only 707 HP, when a Bugatti Veyron had over a thousand. Well, yes, there is the question of price and that Italian stallion comes in around 20-30 times more than a Challenger, but heck, what's the big diff?

It's official, not that there was any chance it wouldn't be, and the real car will be unveiled at next week's New York Auto Show. To ramp up the interest, Dodge released this official photo the other day and wisely choose to show its new crazy car in its natural environment, a dragstrip........

Note the flared wheel wells to hold that extra wide rubber, but even with the expected street legal, almost slicks, this will be the typical starting line pic one can expect from this power crazed pony (with apologies to Mustang).......

And yes, those tires won't last long, but imagine the enjoyment you'll give all those waiting at the street light, as you light 'em up. And I don't think this second hand smoke causes cancer. Room for golf clubs? Yikes, that could be a problem.

Now, about that name. Hellcat is one great moniker and will probably go down in history like the Hemi. I also like the sound of Hellcat Demon..........

..........but those of us with a long car memory might remember the first Dodge car to wear that name and when you think about it, it's rather funny.......

Way back in 1971, Dodge responded to the sales of Plymouth's popular Duster, with their version, which they called the Demon, but this Demon, unlike its present day namesake, came with a school marm's six cylinder. Demon? Yeah, well maybe it was in the eye of the beholder and just maybe almost fifty years later, those buying today's Hellcat Demon won't give a damn. I know I wouldn't.

Just in case you are reaching for your wallet to plunk down a hefty deposit, to ensure your being the first at your local drag strip with this latest Mopar Missile (Google it), rumour has it that there may be another version to increase the "base" model's 840 HP to a "terror on the streets" top dog, featuring a mind blowing 1023 HP!!! Mercy!

So burn those hides, baby, as it's going to get wild out there.......

Until next time......