Building the First Challenger Hellcat

The very first production 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, was sold during Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction back in September for a whopping $825,000 – a $760,000+ premium over the retail price for a Hellcat. In this short video clip, you can see Hellcat 0001 rolling off the assembly line in Dodge’s Brampton, Ontario plant.

The custom red-over-black metallic paintjob makes the 707 horsepower beast just that much more foreboding. What I love most about the video is the bit with the engines, and the orange cylinder heads on the Hellcat’s power plant to distinguish it from the others. And the part where it’s lurching forward on the dyno gives you just an inkling of how powerful the car is.

I had the privilege of driving a Challenger Hellcat on road course last month, and I have to say that Dodge has a real winner on its hands here. Not only does it look and sound amazing, but it handles surprisingly well in the corners, not just in the straights.