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Horsepower is a bit of a hoarded commodity among car enthusiasts. Builders and hobbyists will spend big bucks for power-inducing bolt-on parts, tuning equipment, and internals to take their cars to new heights. However, some cars arrive dripping in horsepower dust from the factory without aftermarket assistance. Such was the case with the SRT Hellcat, Dodge’s nuclear response to the horsepower wars. In fact, the Hellcat required more horsepower than a Mitsubishi Mirage just to operate its supercharger.

The now-perished Dodge Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat required more horsepower than a sedan to run its supercharger

I remember it like it was yesterday. Believe it or not, it was nearly ten years ago. I was at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show checking out the most cutting-edge and thoughtful new metal. Then I saw it: a bright-red post-facelift Dodge Challenger with a little angry cat badge. “The Lion?” I thought. “Perhaps the Dodge Puma or Bobcat or something?” No, no. It could only be a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.

But unlike the pre-2015 Dodge Challengers SRT8s and their naturally aspirated 6.4L HEMI V8s, this one was different. At a glance, the brutish muscle car had reimagined lines, yet retained its throwback aesthetic. However, upon cracking the hood, the beast clearly had a new approach to life. In place of the familiar laced look of the SRT8 resided a waffled supercharger with the same odd and so-obviously-angry cat as the quarter panels.

It was the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, a 707-horsepower middle finger to refinement and sensibility. Of course, to produce numbers like those, Dodge indelicately married a 6.2L “Hellcat” V8 to a 2.4L twin-screw supercharger. It was instantly the most powerful muscle of all time by some margin. Moreover, the sheer volume of that supercharger was larger than the size of many economic vehicles.

Not only that, but the SRT Hellcat’s massive supercharger required around 80 horsepower just to come to life. That’s more than the soon-to-be-discontinued Mitsubishi Mirage G4’s paltry 78 horsepower. However, once that supercharger sucks in the air as intended, even the early SRT Hellcat models blow away most vehicles’ power outputs nearly 10 years later.

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Staff Writer

Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).