The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon represents the pinnacle of muscle car madness. It’s the world’s most powerful factory-produced V-8 powered car with 840 horsepower and 707 pound-feet of torque. It’s faster to 60 mph than the Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari, and McLaren P1. It’s also limited to just 3,300 units in North America so getting your hands on one is going to be tough. Don’t be too bummed, though. Just because the Challenger Demon is a little out of your reach, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a Challenger that looks, well, a little bit like it. Dodge is here for you, gentlemen, with a new wide body kit for the Challenger SRT Hellcat that channels some of that demented Demon spirit into a muscle car that’s no stranger to ungodly power.
The new Demon-inspired body kit provides the kind of visual enhancement that helps bring out a little bit of the Hellcat’s demonic side. The wider fenders, in particular, are immediately noticeable, as is the larger-than-usual set of tires that can now be fitted into the Challenger Hellcat thanks to the extra space provided by the fenders. But the kit as a whole is more than just improving bits and pieces of the Hellcat’s own aesthetic look. Dodge even says that the kit is as much about creating room for the Hellcat to improve its own performance credentials as it is about giving it a more menacing visual appearance. Whatever it did, it’s clear that Dodge has something special in store for Challenger Hellcat owners with this new wide-body kit.
Continue reading to learn more about the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody.
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2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Wide-Body
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Year:2018
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Make:
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Model:
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Engine:V8
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Transmission:six-speed Tremec
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Horsepower @ RPM:707
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Torque @ RPM:650
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Displacement:6.2 L
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0-60 time:3.4 sec.
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Top Speed:195 mph
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Price:
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car segment:
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size:
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Purpose:
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body style:
Official video
What makes the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Wide-Body special
The most prominent change you’ll see with the inclusion of the wide-body option on the Challenger Hellcat are the front and rear fenders.
It’s easy to spot the differences if you look closely. The most prominent change you’ll see with the inclusion of the wide-body option on the Challenger Hellcat are the front and rear fenders. See how much bigger those wheel arches are compared to that found on the Hellcat? Dodge says that the fenders add 3.5 inches to the width of the muscle car. The extra width allows for a new set of 20-inch “Devil Rim” aluminum wheels that are wrapped in 305/35 Pirelli P-Zero tires. Sitting behind the new wheels are new Brembo brakes with two-piece, 15.4-inch rotors and six-piston front calipers.
In addition to the fenders, wheels, and brakes, the package also adds an aluminum hood featuring the same center scoop and the dual heat extractors that are found on the Challenger Hellcat. Dodge didn’t say if the intake in this new hood is bigger than the one found on the standard Hellcat. Photos do make it look like they’re of similar size, but don’t be surprised if the new kit does come with a slightly bigger intake.
Note: side-by-side photo of the hood of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Wide-Body Kit.
There are no arguments on the differences between the two front splitters though. The one included in the new kit is straight out of the Demon’s catalog in that it’s bigger and more streamlined than the one found on the Hellcat. It’s a small visual detail, sure, but there are performance benefits there. A few inconspicuous additions included in the Hellcat kit include the illuminated Air-Catcher headlamps, a new Hellcat-exclusive front grille, and fender badges.
The sports seats are now dressed in Laguna leather and the driver is now able to take control of a leather-wrapped, heated, flat-bottom string wheel.
Step inside the Challenger Hellcat and you’ll be treated to a few distinct upgrades, too. The sports seats are now dressed in Laguna leather and the driver is now able to take control of a leather-wrapped, heated, flat-bottom string wheel. A new red instrument panel badge is also part of the offer, as is an updated version of the 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system. It’s not much in the way of visual enhancements, but it’s not nothing either.
Power figures remain the same, though, so don’t expect anything more than the 707-horsepower and 650-pound-feet-of-torque output provided by the Hellcat’s 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8. Owners are also able to choose between a six-speed Tremec manual transmission (ideal for those who want to enjoy the full potential of the car) or an eight-speed Torqflite automatic transmission. Dodge did add a new electric power steering system with SRT drive modes for the first time in a Hellcat. This system helps manage the increased grip on the muscle car, largely contributing to the promised improvement in the muscle car’s performance times.
Dodge says the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat is two seconds faster than a regular Hellcat on a 1.7-mile track.
Speaking of which, Dodge says the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat is two seconds faster than a regular Hellcat on a 1.7-mile track. It can also post a quarter-mile time of 10.9 seconds, which would be 0.3 seconds quicker than the 11.2 seconds it takes the regular Hellcat to cover the same distance. What’s more, the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat can also post higher g-forces on the lateral skid pad. Where the standard model creates 0.93 g in this situation, the wide-bodied version creates 0.97 g. And yes, there are also improvements in acceleration times to 60 mph; the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat can sprint to that speed in just 3.4 seconds, a little better than the 3.5 seconds it takes the standard model to do the same. Top speed remains at 195 mph.
If these upgrades are of any interest to anybody, they’re going to need to shell out at least $72,590, including the $1,700 gas guzzler tax and the $1,095 destination fee, to get their hands on one. That amount represents an increase of under $10,000 compared to the standard Challenger Hellcat, which itself is priced at $64,195. On the other hand, the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat is a little over $10,000 cheaper than the Challenger Demon, which has a starting price of $84,995, depending if there are no dealership mark-ups on the car.
So is it as good as the Challenger Demon?
note: side-by-side photo of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Wide-Body and the Dodge Challenger Demon
By every angle imaginable, the Challenger Demon is still faster and more powerful than the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat.
Now that’s taking it a little too far. By every angle imaginable, the Challenger Demon is still faster and more powerful than the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat. The Demon, after all, still has 133 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque over the “improved” Challenger Hellcat. There’s no going around those numbers, nor is there around the Demon’s incredible performance times. For example, it’s 0-to-60-mph time still sits at 2.3 seconds with radial tires in tow and it can cover a quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds, 1.25 seconds faster than a Challenger Hellcat sporting this new kit.
Consider the wide-bodied Challenger Hellcat then as the middle child that sits between the Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Challenger SRT Demon. In any event, it still packs a hellacious amount of power that’s capable of destroying its rivals and leaving them with a front-seat view of its rear end.
