The Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye Looks Like a Muscle Car from Mordor
If you’re still kicking yourself for not grabbing one of the 3,300 examples of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – the 840-hp muscle coupe with a penchant for levitating front wheels and asphalt-crushing acceleration — don’t shed a tear just yet. Dodge is offering something equally wicked.
The automaker has just pulled the wraps off the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, a 797 hp ‘Demon-lite’ that can cover zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. The car features the same ferocious 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 as the Demon, but takes away some of the drag racing–specific features and focuses more on refinement and daily drivability. All the sound-deadening material that came out of the Demon to shave weight, for example, has gone back in for the Redeye.
While 797 horses might appear a sizable reduction from the Demon’s 840, remember, the latter was only achieved with 100-octane race fuel. On regular pump gas, the Demon’s V-8 produced 808 hp.
And the 11 hp difference between Demon and Redeye is largely down to airflow; the Demon featured an extra-wide, air-gulping hood scoop, while the Redeye comes with smaller ‘dual snorkel’ scoops that pay homage to Dodge classics like the 1970 Dart Swinger and 1971 Demon.
The one area where the new Redeye does outperform the Demon is in top speed. Whereas the Demon’s dragstrip-friendly tires limited its V-max to 168 mph, the Redeye’s Pirelli P-Zero rubber lets the car run to 203mph.
The Redeye shares the Demon’s widebody stance with those same bold fender flares, but now they cover new 10-spoke, 20 x 11-inch ‘Devil’s Run’ forged alloys shod with 305/35ZR20-section Pirellis. Its muscular look is also heightened by those black Hellcat badges on the front fenders featuring a sinister red jewel for the Hellcat’s eye.
Production starts this fall at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Brampton, Ontario assembly plant with first deliveries expected towards the end of the year. Pricing for the Hellcat Redeye is anticipated to start at $70,000.
Launch Gallery: In Pictures: Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye
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