2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody is Demon Lite

The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is a stupid-fast rocket sled in a straight line but, in the grand tradition of most American muscle cars that came before, it kind of loses the plot when asked to alter its trajectory. A lot of that is down to the challenger, like the rest of the current and former LX-body models, being an almighty lardass, even by modern automobile standards, but some is down to the fact that its track width is basically the same as the all-sizzle-and-one-bite-of-steak V6 model. A wider stance would help immensely in the turns, which is why SRT has created this swollen savage: The 2018 Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody.

Now if the flares over the front and rear fender openings and the king-size front splitter look familiar, they should, because they’re the very same pieces installed on the SRT Demon. Unlike the Demon, though, the Hellcat Widebody retains the standard Hellcat hood, a full interior, and the “normal” 6.2L supercharged V8 rated at “just” 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft of torque teamed with either a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission.

But back to those widened fenders: They are filled with 20” split-spoke wheels wearing 305 mm treadwidth tires, and the car’s overall width grows by 3.5”. Dodge says that wider track and quartet of bigger contact patches prove their worth on the track in the form of extra lateral grip (up 0.04 g to 0.97), shorter times to 60 mph (down a tenth to 3.4 seconds), through the quarter mile (down three tenths to 10.9 seconds), and around Chrysler’s own 1.7 mile proving grounds handling course (a massive two seconds faster) than the standard-width Challenger SRT Hellcat. Alas, all that extra capability also means extra money you’ll be handing over at the dealer: Pricing for the Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody will start at $71,495, which is a $7,300 premium over the narrow one, but should still be a sizable savings relative to the Demon. Sounds like a winner to us.

Source: Dodge