Attitude at Altitude: One-off Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept Aims for the Top of Pikes Peak

Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept Joins Race-prepped Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody on Its Run Up the Mountain This Year
  • Race-prepped, one-off concept 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody to compete in the Exhibition class at the 97th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado
  • Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept is powered by a specially tuned version of the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® V-8 engine, mated to crisp-shifting TorqueFlite high performance eight-speed automatic transmission
  • Widebody treatment adds 3.5 inches to Dodge Charger’s body width, enables 20-inch by 11-inch wheels and wide, competition-spec tires
  • Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept adds safety gear, shocks and brake pads tailored to the extreme demands of racing on Pikes Peak
  • Award-winning driver Randy Pobst making his fourth career run at “Race to the Clouds”
  • Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept prepared with Pikes Peak veterans from SRT Engineering  and the Wesley Motorsports team
  • Celebrates the arrival of Dodge’s new-for-2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody production car – the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world and the quickest, best-handling production Charger SRT Hellcat ever
June 27, 2019 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -  The world-renowned Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado is all about challenges. Drivers must negotiate 156 turns over 12.4 miles – a route that puts a premium on handling and top-notch braking. The air is thin at the 9,390-foot start and gets thinner on the climb to the finish line at 14,115 feet, affecting the engine’s output and the driver’s stamina.
 
In short, it’s a job for an SRT Hellcat – specifically, a race-prepped, concept machine based on the just-announced 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody. The concept wears distinctive red/black/gray/white SRT livery created by the FCA US Product Design Office and first previewed at SpringFest 14 in April.
 
"When you look at a Charger, you of course think 'muscle car,' but maybe not ‘Pike's Peak contender,'" said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA - North America. “So we did what we do; we threw big horsepower, big rubber and big brakes at it. It's just that easy to make a Dodge race ready. And the best part, most of what we did is available off the showroom floor in the new 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody."
 
Dodge//SRT engineers teamed with Wesley Motorsports to make changes to the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody production specs, tailoring the sedan for the unique, grueling rigors of Pikes Peak:
  • Under the concept’s hood is the specially tuned supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® V-8 engine
  • A race exhaust and customized engine calibration are particularly important, enabling this special race-prepped Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody to maintain power at the upper altitudes of the Pikes Peak run
  • Bilstein shock absorbers and production SRT suspension tuning are well-suited for the intense high-speed conditions
  • Toyo Proxes RR DOT Competition Tires on 20-inch by 11-inch production wheels, Pagid RST 1 racing brake pads and high-temperature brake fluid provide the grip and sustained stopping power for the extreme mountainous race conditions seen at Pike’s Peak
  • For driver safety under all racing circumstances, the concept is equipped with an FIA-spec roll cage, racing seat and a fuel cell replacing the production fuel tank
 
While the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody for Pikes Peak is a one-off concept, it carries much of the stock equipment used for the production version of the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody, including:
  • Six-piston Brembo brake calipers for the front wheels and four-piston Brembo calipers for the rear
  • Crisp-shifting TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission with SRT-developed high-performance calibration
The Pikes Peak Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept even carries an air conditioning compressor, standard equipment on its production counterpart, to maintain its production-car credibility for the competition.
 
Award-winning driver Randy Pobst, a three-time “Race to the Clouds” veteran and resident expert test driver for Motor Trend magazine, will be in the driver’s seat of this special Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept, race-prepped by Wesley Motorsports of Lansing, Michigan. The 97th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is set for Sunday, June 30. The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept will compete in the Exhibition Class.  
 
“I’m thrilled to run Pikes Peak in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept race car," said professional race car driver Randy Pobst. “The driving challenge is like no other on Earth. This specially prepared Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept has the three ‘must haves’ for this hill climb: lots of horsepower and torque to hit 120 mph plus on the sweepers; great handling with the wider wheels and tires, because there is absolutely no room for mistakes on a mountain road; and the superb brakes to haul that puppy down for 20-mph hairpin turns.”  
 
The Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody concept joins a race-prepped Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody at this year’s event. This will be the Challenger’s second year up the mountain in the Time Attack 1 class. Kevin Wesley will be behind the wheel.
 
This will be the third year that Wesley Motorsports has campaigned a modern, specially prepared Dodge//SRT high-performance vehicle at Pikes Peak:
  • 2016: Viper ACR sets the Class TA2 qualifying record; finished second on race day
  • 2018: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody qualified fifth in Class TA1. Finished 11th due to mechanical issues
 
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Race Concept based on new production model
Dodge is literally expanding its high-performance Charger models for 2020, adding a Widebody package to America’s only four-door muscle car.
 
Designed and engineered to push the boundaries of what a four-door family sedan can be, the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody is powered by the proven supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Hellcat V-8 engine, which delivers best-in-class 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to a standard TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission. With a top speed of 196 mph, the Charger SRT Hellcat maintains its claim as the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world.
 
It is also the quickest and best-handling production Charger SRT Hellcat ever, as the 3.5-inch wider body makes room for new 20-inch by 11-inch Carbon Black forged wheels riding on wider, stickier Pirelli 305/35ZR20 tires.
 
SRT engineers took this wider, stickier beast to the track to see what it can do. The result: improved performance on the street, strip and road course. The 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody runs 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds, has quarter-mile elapsed time (ET) in 10.96 seconds and pulls .96 g on the skid pad. It also delivers a road course lap time 2.1 seconds faster than the vehicle it replaces after one lap of a 2.1-mile track. That is equal to 13 car lengths per lap.
 
Dodge//SRT
For 110 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge, America’s performance brand, shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments in which the brand competes while moving forward to a future that includes electrified muscle in the form of the next-generation, all-new Dodge Charger.

The next-generation Dodge Charger electrifies a legend, with the Charger retaining its title as the world’s quickest and most powerful muscle car led by the all-new, all-electric 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. The all-new Dodge Charger will also offer performance choices via multi-energy powertrain options including the 550-horsepower Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O., powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine.

Dodge also keeps its foot on the gas as a pure performance brand with the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful gas engine SUV ever, and best-in-class standard performance in the compact-utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge//SRT and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Dodge brand: www.dodge.com
Direct Connection: www.DCPerformance.com
DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dodge and @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

Contact Information

Dan Reid
Office: (248) 512-0366
Cell: (248) 202-7697
Kristin Starnes
Cell: (248) 202-9906
Download Video Embed