Summer Madness: Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock
Despite being an Italian-American company that will soon align itself with France’s PSA Group, Fiat Chrysler can still be unabashedly American whenever it lets Dodge off the leash. By adhering to the tenets of what (once) made domestic vehicles great, Dodge has bet the farm on providing quality family transportation that can be outfitted with more horsepower than any sane person could want at a price they couldn’t possibly ignore.
Dodge is putting its best on full display for Independence Day, letting the world know its priorities have not changed one iota. Yet there exists a sense — a gnawing feeling — that this could be the final round of truly mental V8 monsters to come out of America. Global emissions regulations and a new corporate structure could mean that SRT’s best may not be seen again for some time.
If that’s to be the case, Dodge has honorably decided to go down singing with some of the gnarliest machines yet to leave its stable.
While FCA has informed us that V8s would stick around through 2021, Chief Executive Mike Manley said the next Challenger will not continue with the biggest engines in its arsenal. Instead, he suggested we anticipate hybridization across the board. But if those cars exist, there’s no sign of them today. Rather than providing us with a glimpse of the future, Dodge eyeballed the past and decided it could do better.
The 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock uses the same supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that comes in the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. But it has adjusted the shift points from 6,300 rpm to 6,400 rpm and used some clever heat management to deliver 10 extra ponies (807 hp on pump gas). Tim Kuniskis, global head of Alfa Romeo and head of passenger cars for FCA North America, proclaimed it as the fastest muscle car in existence — adding that true muscle cars can hold more than two passengers comfortably and double as grand tourers.
At 4,450 pounds, Dodge claims the widebody Super Stock is capable of hitting 60 mph in just 3.25 seconds and can obliterate the 1/4 mile in just 10.5 seconds (with a trap speed of over 130 mph).
The Super Stock also comes with Bilstein adaptive dampers (mainly to load the rear tires), new spoiler, strengthened chassis, a performance-tuned limited-slip differential, and a 3.09 final drive ratio. Combined with the 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radials, those changes help it run down the lane quicker than the Redeye, and with much less tire smoke. You do lose a bit of speed, however. The Super Stock tops out at 168 mph.
Don’t worry. You can still burn rubber to your heart’s content by flipping the car into track mode — which temporarily kills TCS but leaves on ESC. It also has a line lock system for warming up the rear rubber and the Demon’s launch assist to make gravity-defying launches as drama-free as possible.
This is the first of several high-horsepower entries revealed to us by the SRT division this week. It’s also the most aggressive by a country mile — which is a relative concept when you’re discussing passenger models with over 700 hp. We’re not sure what niche the SRT Super Stock fills that the Redeye and Demon can’t, but nonetheless remain glad it exists. The crazy coupe is expected to manufactured in exceptionally low volumes (Dodge said 2,000 units is the absolute limit) and priced beyond $80,000.
[Images: Fiat Chrysler]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Pathetic automatic scum
The French won't allow this car to survive. Soon all of FCA cars will be based on PSA models. I would like to thank Mary Barra for selling Opel to PSA, which emboldened them company to take over FCA. I think it is obvious now why Barra does not want this merger to go through. The lawsuit will not work, and Barra's entire legacy will be tarnished.