It’s an unfortunate truth that a lot of Dodge Hellcats eventually find themselves in a crash or two, only to end up in a junk yard and listed on Copart. But one person’s crashed trash is another’s treasure, and there’s a perfect opportunity to give all of these haggard Hellcats a second life.
What’s the backstory on this chopped up Challenger in the photo? Where’s the roof? What does one do with the skeleton of an apex muscle car? Considering how often Chargers and Challengers are stolen, parted out, and left for dead, sometimes we’re just left not knowing. However, one idea, as proposed by Cleveland Power & Performance in the video below, is to use every last nut and bolt of these prized parts to create a head-turning restomod out of a classic Mopar muscle car. Along with the Hellcat, this chassis comes with the ZF eight speed automatic, a full suspension, wheels, Brembo brakes, and only 26,000 miles on the odometer.
We’ve seen several Mopar restomod builds that have incorporated the chassis and/or powertrain of a Challenger Hellcat thus far. there’s this example of one that uses a modern drivetrain, as well as modern headlights and taillights. And there’s this other one that plugs vintage looks on a modern body. Third is this example of a Plymouth Roadrunner built for Kevin Hart that pulls in all sorts of Challenger SRT Hellcat parts. Others have gone to build full-on clones that hide the hardware of todays Charger and Challenger.
Or, you could go a different route. Consider various “Vette-Kart” builds that have surfaced over the years. Similarly, these builds shed unnecessary hardware such as doors and a roof to deliver a uniquely visceral experience. Imagine experiencing a 707 horsepower Hellcat V8 with nothing buffering the drama. You can’t go wrong either way.
Image copyright Steven Pham, Muscle Cars & Trucks.
