Words by Marcus Boothby
Back in 2015, Chrysler gave us the magical Hellcat engine. The standard engine produced a healthy 707bhp, and was debuted in the Dodge Challenger and Charger models. Turns out, this engine became quite popular and found its way into other models, while gaining more power.
Fast forward to August 2020, the Hellcat engine is now found in 8 unique models, with the latest being the recently updated RAM 1500 Rebel TRX. This monster truck uses the Hellcat engine to send 702bhp to all four wheels, and with an aggressive, off-road focused body kit, it should scare the Ford F-150 Raptor.
The 2021 RAM 1500 Rebel TRX is also the world’s fastest and most powerful production-spec pick-up truck, entirely thanks to the Hellcat engine. Transmission is an eight-speed automatic and the 4WD system has been enhanced for hard off-road use. However, just because it has a lot of off-road enhancements, it can still keep up with modern sports cars with a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds which is nuts for a pick-up truck.
However, much like the BMW M3 Touring news from the other day, why hasn’t RAM done a proper F-150 Raptor rival until now? The original F-150 Raptor came out way back in 2009 and started the trend of go-faster off-road trucks made by the manufacture. Even Chevrolet and Toyota have rivals in the form of the Colorado ZR2 and Tacoma TRD Pro, respectively. The Raptor has become so successful, they even gave the Ranger a Raptor model which is on sale in both America and Europe.
So, Chrysler clearly wants to milk the Hellcat engine to death so what do we want to see next? Well, one niche the Hellcat hasn’t invaded yet is the minivan market. Yes that’s right, we want to see a Chrysler Pacifica with the Hellcat engine. They easily call it the Hellspawn, playing on the Pacifica’s intended market. However, you can buy the Hellcat as a crate engine, which means it’ll go into anything you can dream of…