Chrysler Hellcat V8 Could Unseat Viper V10

by Cameron Aubernon

March 25th, 2014 9:09 AM

chrysler hellcat v8 could unseat viper v10

For over a year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been working on a Hemi V8 dubbed the Hellcat, which set to debut in a revised Dodge Challenger. However, the Hellcat could prove a challenge to the SRT Viper’s V10, possibly unseating the venerable monster from the throne.

Automotive News reports the rumored V8 has caused an internal debate within FCA, in particular what it would mean for the Viper when the Challenger receives the engine. SRT brand boss Ralph Giles told Hot Rod magazine:

We have a situation where, you know — we may have a situation — where the flagship car is not the most powerful car in our arsenal … how do we explain that to ourselves? So we have an internal horsepower race as well as an external one.

While the Viper’s naturally aspirated V10 pushes 660 horsepower, the SRT variant of the Challenger — pitted against the Ford Mustang GT500 and Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 — is rumored to put out as much as 700 horses .

The 2015 Challenger is rumored to debut in New York next month.

#DodgeChallenger #HaloCars #Hellcat #Hemi #MuscleCars #NewYork2014 #SrtViper #V10 #V8

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Bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube on Mar 25, 2014

A supercharged 6.1 automatically becomes an easy 600HP or more. Natural Aspirated V8's are going away in favor of lower displacement engines with blowers. The Viper is no match for a tuned Charger/300/Jeep

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- Nickoo on Mar 25, 2014
  
  Tuned vipers easily pull 900-1100 HP. The factory has to hold them back for compliance as a street legal motor. Until hemi gets alu block, direct inj, and cam in cam, its not gonna approach what the viper is cabable of.
  
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- Danio3834 on Mar 25, 2014
  
  @nickoo It's kind of silly to even compare the two engines anywhere but on paper. The Viper V10 is an 8.4L! engine and makes gobs of power everywhere in the powerband. Once it's forced inducted, it's virtually intouchable by anything within $100,000. Mr. Gilles' concern is valid, as the only numbers many people care about are peak power numbers, but the two engines are very different beasts.
  
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- Bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube on Mar 25, 2014
  
  @danio3834 A tuned Viper would definitely be a monster. I'm just saying that building yourself an 8 or 9 second Charger would be easier and less expensive. I'm not as worried about Torque/HP numbers as I am with 0-60 and 0-quarter. The Viper is too small, too expensive and too manual for me. I'd rather buy a GT-R and eat people alive all day long.
  
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- Cognoscenti on Mar 26, 2014
  
  @bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube Just don't use the launch control...
  
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- TheBigGuy on May 10, 2014
  
  @cognoscenti Only a few years off with that comment. Nissan covers it in their warranty and encourage you to use it now.
  
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Pgcooldad on Mar 25, 2014

Lawyers are freaking out - Hellcat being tuned down. Hitting 770 on dynos.

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- Raph on Mar 25, 2014
  
  Naw, there are so many electronic nannies in today's vehicles in combination with a high entry price its pretty much a non-issue. Todays 700 horsepower Challenger is nothing compared to the high strung carbureted or even cable operated throttle body cars of yesteryear. You'll probably find people complaining about this being the "slowest" 700hp car they've seen. And again it all depends on how FCA sets the engine and power adder up. My own daily driver puts down more power at the rear wheels than this car probably will (even at 700 crank horsepower and a fairly efficient drivetrain offering around a 10-12% loss in absorption it should be making around 615-630 rear wheel power) and its entirely manageable in a variety of conditions driven with some sanity.
  
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Ttacgreg on Mar 25, 2014

This article appeared in a rather timely way for me. There seems to be lots of prototypes up here in the Colorado mountains undergoing testing. Today I spotted one, the front and the backend were entirely obscured, but the side was exposed and was clearly a Challenger. This would seem to raise the question of what were they hiding? Is there a facelift for the Challenger in the works?

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PrincipalDan on Mar 25, 2014

working on a Hemi V8 dubbed the Hellcat Am I the only one who wishes that a V8 named Hellcat was being installed in a new BUICK muscle car called Wildcat?

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