Dodge Challenger Hellcat Drag Pack Coming in 2019 With 725 HP
New spy photos could lend credence to rumors claiming a 2019 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Drag Pack may be offered for the 2019 model year.
Insider information, some of which was first shared on our forum Hellcat.org, helped spark rumors that Dodge will be offering a Drag Pack option on the Challenger Hellcat for 2019. Now prototypes for the drag race-focused Hellcat have been photographed undergoing testing. The prototypes feature the narrow body of the Challenger Hellcat, but with the Air Grabber hood from the Demon. Word is the Challenger Hellcat Drag Pack will receive about 75% of the content offered on the Demon, and will also get a slight bump in output from 707 hp to around 725 hp.
SEE ALSO: The 840 HP Dodge Demon is on its Way to Dealers Now
There are several components from the Demon that could be offered on a standard Hellcat to make it more appealing speed-crazy customers without adding too much extra cost. These include the aforementioned Air Grabber hood along with the sticky Nitto tires, liquid-to-air charge air cooler chiller system and perhaps even fancier items like the Torque Reserve function and TransBrake. We also hear there will be a ‘Drag Mode’ option in the UConnect system and that Drag Pack-equipped cars will have a taller final drive ratio than standard Hellcats.
A Dodge Challenger Hellcat Drag Pack isn’t too surprising of a product. Dodge will be selling the Challenger for a few more years, so it’s wise to offer customers something new for the ageing two-door. We’ve also already seen Demon equipment trickle through the rest of the Challenger range with the Hellcat Widebody, and a Challenger Drag Pack allows Dodge to capitalize on the hype it drummed up for the Demon even more than it already has.
The Demon-inspired Challenger Hellcat Drag Pack should make its debut sometime this year before arriving at dealers in late 2018 as 2019 model year vehicles. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
Discuss this story on our Dodge Hellcat Forum.
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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That's 795hp (91 octane), or 808 hp (93 octane), Demon is on it's way. One must order the drag pack to get 840-865 hp (100-110 octane). And since the Demon has actually been on the streets for 7 months, as tested oem street trim it's barely a high 10.7 to 11.1 sec car. Barely 1 full sec quicker than its little bro Hellcat. On tracks in Drag pack config,config, they're running 10.3 to 10.7... it's a brick, what do you expect. Car's with 150 hp less will go quicker, but hey, the Demon was built for the track (1/4 type, not twisty type), it's not wise to test it's power on the street becausethe streets are not "very highly prepped" like FCA had their track made on a cold late fall night in late Nov. I thought about gettingone then realizedI could duplicateit for $35k less. Besides, I went through two hellcats, they had lots of issues, both mechanical and quality. It's why I won't be driving an FCA product again for a long time. Heck, by 2025, I hear we all might be forced to give up driving ourselves and won't be able to buy a car anymore. Enjoy it now, because it'll all be gone soon.
Feel like Hellcats have the best value. Just upgrade the tires.