The Devil Is in the Details

6 years ago Showcase

For many enthusiasts who feared the Dodge Challenger SRT® Demon was the final weapon of mass destruction from Dodge, their fears were melted away on Thursday with the announcement of the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. This 797-horsepower beast was spawned from the SRT Demon and has many go-fast parts borrowed from the demonic wicked brew whose mixture includes a massive supercharger, intercooler and suspension components. There are also many other bits and pieces that make the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye a ground-pounder that will have a “take-no-prisoners” approach when someone lines up next to you at the drags.

“The Dodge Brothers would be proud that we’re leveraging the power and performance of this proven engine to bring [an SRT] Demon-possessed Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye to an even wider high-performance enthusiast audience,” said Steve Beahm – Head of Passenger Cars, Dodge//SRT, Chrysler and FIAT®, FCA North America. Steve is a cool guy and one of us, a true drag racer at heart who’s even played around a vintage Challenger back in the day.

From a visual appearance, the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye (along with it’s tamer 717-horsepower Hellcat sibling) gets a unique twin scoop hood to pull in fresh air to feed the Redeye’s massive 2.7-liter supercharger that’s pumping almost 15 pounds of boost. Most gearheads know that hot, underhood air is the enemy of horsepower and the SRT engineers addressed that on the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and standard Hellcat.

“The heart of the Redeye is basically the heart of the [SRT] Demon,” said Jim Wilder, SRT Vehicle Development Manager. “The stock [SRT] Demon’s power was 808, while the Redeye is only 11 horses less due the new twin snorkel hood. The reason for the hood change was for a better aero balance on the Redeye and reduce frontend lift and drag. Remember, the Redeye is more than a drag car; at 200-plus mph, high-speed stability is extremely important.”

Also new on the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcats is a new spoiler that was re-designed for a more raked back look and we dig it. It still maintains all the SRT downforce requirements for high-speed stability.

The Redeye had a new Hellcat fender badge with the kitty sporting a red-jewel-like eye and a new emblem on the hood. Gone are the SRT Demon’s red valve covers and black units take their place. Think of it as a 1966-71 426 Street HEMI® look.

Feeding the hungry 6.2L HEMI are two-dual-stage fuel pumps and the hungry cat will consume 1.43 gallons of 93 octane unleaded in just one minute. Yet, if you don’t drive the Redeye like you stole it, it’ll still knock down 22 mpg on the highway.

Other SRT Demon features you’ll find on the Redeye are the Torque Reserve Feature, SRT Power Chiller™ (perfect when you’re hot lapping the beast at the drags), High-Strength steel prop shafts and 41-spline half shafts.

What’s really cool, and depending on your flavor, the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye offers two available final drive ratios, a standard 2.62:1 or a 3.09:1.

So, the burning question everyone’s asking: What will the Redeye do on the quarter-mile? If you’re a decent driver and patient with your launch technique, the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye can rip off quarter-mile times in the 10.80 zone at 131 mph. With some practice, good air and a set of drag radials bolted on, we’re sure the Redeye is capable of a nine-second time slip.

So, if you missed out on getting an SRT Demon, the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye should fill your needs. It still has the magic to possess your soul and shrink time and space very quickly.

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