The Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is one of the most powerful and capable muscle cars one can buy from the factory. With 797 horsepower, enough tires to pave asphalt, and track-ready driveline bits, the Hellcat Redeye is right at home at the drag strip. But despite its success in America, the Dodge Challenger is a rather rare car outside of North America. However, that provides opportunities to importers, and it just so happens that one of these mega muscle cars made its way overseas to a Japanese owner. The owner apparently dreamed that it would be driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya, otherwise known as the “Drift King.” Tsuchiya-san is currently 66 years old, and his calling card is his nontraditional use of drifting motorsport events and races that otherwise don’t call for it (such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans), as well as popularizing drifting as a motorsport in Japan.
Beyond racing, Tsuchiya was the consultant for the manga and anime series, Initial D and was the stunt coordinator of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, where he also made a cameo appearance.
Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye VS The Drift King
That dream has recently come true, and Tsuchiya features the car on his YouTube channel Drift King Television. The Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is a monster. With 797 horsepower and 707 lb-ft of torque, coming from the same supercharged 6.2L V8 engine that powers the Demon. Additionally, the car weighs over two tons, making it even more challenging to take for a drifting run, but the numbers weren’t going to stop Tsuchiya from trying.
Tsuchiya commented on the vehicle’s weight countless times in the video, and for someone who became famous behind the wheel of the lightweight Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, that comes as little surprise to us.
Despite the immense background and experience with drifting, it seems he wasn’t too successful in taming the beast of a Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. He noted that it’s “a car that enjoys danger,” and the electronics of the vehicles, even in manual mode, constantly fought against him. We wonder if he’d feel the same way about it if he took the Redeye to its natural habitat: the drag strip. Nevertheless, it’s a fun video, and we highly recommend checking it out.
