10 Wildest Hellcat-Powered Builds: Custom Cars Driven By Mopar's Maddest V8 (2024)

Feb. 25, 2024 11:24 AM ET by Lucia Forlini Cataldo Engine / 3 Comments

The 717-horsepower supercharged Hellcat V8 engine is one of the world's most well-known muscle car engines. This legendary engine is responsible for powering iconic models such as the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and Dodge Durango Hellcat.

Jeep used the Hellcat engine in the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, while Ram will use it to power the 1500 TRX for one final year.

The Hellcat engine is available as a crate engine via Mopar's Direct Connection online store (sadly, not available , retailing for a reasonable $17,925. If you push the budget to $22k, you can get the Hellcrate Redeye that produces 807 hp. Since Hellcrate engines are so readily available, many Hellcat-powered restomods and zany creations are out there.

Let's explore 10 of our favorite examples.

This Hellcat-powered 1968 Charger (or, rather, two of them) was created for the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious movie franchise, F9. Seven "prop" cars were fitted with a plastic Hellcat lookalike engine cover for filming purposes but were powered by a good old-fashioned LS3 V8.

However, two of the cars used on set were the real deal. They were fitted with real Hellcat engines and driven by the actors in close-up shots.

The cars were built by SpeedKore and after it became an instant classic thanks to the film, the tuning company went ahead and built a one-off street legal unit.

This 1968 Charger was given a new lease on life after being discovered as a barn find by retired Dodge employee Russ Weid.

Seeing the potential for a project in the sorry-looking Charger, he enlisted custom car expert Jesse Hernandez to turn his old car into something extraordinary. A surgical transformation (hence the "Incision" nickname) followed, with a new chassis, shocks, and, of course, a Hellcat engine swap. The engine was left stock and paired with a GM 4L80-E overdrive automatic transmission, 14-inch brakes, and larger wheels to help keep that power under control.

The car became a hit at car shows, so Jesse and Russ have traveled with it all over the country, picking up awards as they go along.

This 1970 Plymouth Superbird was in a sorry state when it went to Dave Salvaggio, owner of Salvaggio Auto Designs. He decided it would make the perfect starting point for an epic restomod project that blended past and future.

After a considerable amount of work, the 900-hp Superbird was born. That's right- the power output of the Hellcat engine under the Plymouth's hood has been bumped up to 900 horsepower, thanks to additions such as bigger injectors and an updated supercharger.

An eight-speed automatic transmission carries all that power to the rear wheels, and a custom MagnaFlow exhaust provides a sound that's sure to turn heads.

The next car on the list is not like the others because it's not a real car. Automotive concept artist Abimelec Arellano dreamt up this unusual vehicle and created a render to picture what it would look like, combining the bold, iconic lines of the late '50 Cadillac with a modern Hellcat engine (displayed here in a vivid shade of Cadillac blue).

The imaginary Cadillac comes with large concave wheels, partly inspired by the iconic "Sabre" wheels, and a lowered stance that gives it a more menacing look.

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This fascinating restomod, curated by the Ringbrothers (well-known custom car builders and restoration specialists), combines the classic 1969 Dodge Charger with the power of the Hellcat engine.

The creation of CAPTIV was a reasonably mammoth operation involving 8,000 miles of travel and around 4240 hours (or 177 days) of work. The Charger originally lived in New Zealand before being taken apart and shipped to the Ringbrothers' base in Wisconsin so that work could begin.

The new engine was installed with a Bowler Tremec T-56 six-speed transmission and a Flowmaster exhaust system. Luxurious new upholstery and a custom shade of bright yellow paint completed the picture, giving the Charger a unique touch.

This bonkers creation was brought to life by Exotic Custom Motorsports. Its loud orange paint job and the nickname "Inferno" should give you a pretty good idea of what sort of vehicle this is.

Not only was a 707-horsepower Hellcat engine stuffed into a Jeep Wrangler, which would be crazy enough in its own right, but the final creation was converted from a regular Wrangler into a pickup truck with an additional axle.

The team made additional modifications to make the Inferno the ultimate off-roading monster by adding 5 inches to its ground clearance, installing a locking differential, and new shocks.

Hoonigan is well-known for its out-of-this-world automotive projects, and this Rolls Royce Silver Shadow with a Hellcat under the hood is no exception.

The Hoonigan team replaced the stock supercharger with a custom Magnuson unit, bringing the power output to over 1,000 horsepower. And this figure has the potential to go even higher. With additional modifications, such as a custom fuel system, the Rolls could produce up to 1,400 hp.

Other mechanical enhancements include a custom Borla exhaust, a racing chassis, and bucket seats to turn a luxury cruiser into a track-ready drift machine.

A collaboration between Rowdy's Garage and Hemi specialist Ripatuned, this unusual RX-7 gets an all-American makeover and trades in its iconic Wankel rotary engine for a Hellcat V8.

Despite the old engine leaving a surprising amount of space under the RX-7's hood, a custom oil pan was needed to make everything fit. A custom supercharger completes the Franken-Mazda. The final result will probably spend the rest of its life on the drag strip rather than being driven on public roads due to its slightly off-kilter weight distribution.

This "Japanese muscle car" isn't the only oddball build Rowdy's Garage is cooking up. A rotary-powered BMW M4 is also in the works.

This Hellcat-powered Prius takes everything the Prius stands for and turns it upside down, creating an "anti-Prius" that bears little resemblance to the original car except for its shape.

The shell has been gutted to make way for the new engine and all the mechanical components required to sustain it since none of the Prius' original parts can handle anything close to 700 horses.

The engine is paired with a six-speed Tremec manual transmission, and a Whipple supercharger was added to give the final result an extra touch of insanity.

The appropriately named HellKitty's appeal comes from the near-comical contrast between the monster Hellcat engine and the diminutive Japanese sports car it has been shoehorned in.

The Miata may still have its cutesy looks, but it's impossible to draw your eyes away from the behemoth sticking out of its hood. The addition of the Hellcat engine gave the car nearly five times its original horsepower (683hp against its original 140).

Along with a handful of race-ready modifications such as a Sparco steering wheel and racing seats, the HellKitty's creator, YouTuber Stephen Crapps, also fitted it with the all-important addition of a roll bar: it's unlikely many would be willing to get behind the wheel otherwise.