With the German Big Three seemingly giving up on their horsepower war in favour of a fancy lights war it is time for the Americans to step up to the plate and Dodge has stepped up in spectacular style. The supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi engine under the bonnet of the Challenger SRT Hellcat produces a frankly ridiculous 707hp and 880Nm of torque making it the most powerful muscle car ever according to its maker.
The title was wrestled from the Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500, which manages a paltry 662hp by comparison. Not only does the Hellcat destroy the competition but it also does a good job of beating exotica with its power output more than offered up by the darling of the SRT brand, the Viper, and even the Lamborghini Aventador supercar.
To ensure that the Hellcat is not wrapped around a tree when you are just going to the store for milk it is supplied with two keys; the red key gives access to the full 707hp and 880Nm while the black key limits things to make the car more driveable. Well a touch more driveable anyway, as even in 'limited' mode the engine still produces 500hp. Power is funnelled through either a six-speed manual gearbox or eight-speed 'TorqueFlite' automatic, which we can only assume are reinforced with steel girders.
Anything else?
The 'all-American' muscle car will be built at Dodge's production facility in Ontario, Canada with cars scheduled to begin to arrive in dealerships about now. Just not Irish ones...