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For almost a decade now, the Chrysler HEMI V8 engine has stood as a peerless purveyor of naturally aspirated horsepower. Found in everything from Ram pickups to the 470 horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT8, the big HEMI engine has managed to keep up with the competition without resorting to forced induction.
But a new wave of powerful, supercharged sports cars means that Chrysler has finally flipped the switch on forced induction. A new report from Automotive News says that a supercharged HEMI V8 nicknamed “Hellcat” will be making its debut in the Challenger SRT8 very soon.
While no one scoffs at the 470 horsepower of the SRT8 Challenger or Charger, the cross-town competition has upped the ante. First there is the 556 horsepower Camaro ZL1, and then the 662 horsepower Shelby GT500 competing for those high-end dollars. With almost 200 horsepower less than the Shelby, Chrysler needs to step its game up.
Reportedly displacing 6.2 liters, some reports predict the Hellcat HEMI will make around 550 horsepower, while others are saying that engineers are putting it closer to 640 horsepower, the same power as the 8.4 liter V10 found in the SRT Viper. While still less than the Shelby, that kind of power would put it well ahead of the Camaro ZL1. But when will that engine debut? That’s the real question here.
Chrysler may hold out and wait for the next-gen Challenger, reportedly called the SRT Barracuda, to roll this new engine out. Or maybe they’ll start selling it as a last hurrah, a proper sendoff for the awesome-but-heavy Challenger. With the Challenger replacement due in 2015, we’ll find out soon, won’t we?
