Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, I Don’t Own One Yet, but I’ve Already Planned the Road Trip. #9 A2W Car Spotlight

I’d take a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to Germany. Where in Germany? No idea yet. I’ve picked a stretch of Autobahn with no fixed speed limit, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the important bit sorted. When you love muscle cars as much as I do, the thought of a long drive with that V8 roaring away up front is a good enough reason to go.

It’s funny because I loved the Chevrolet Corvette for looking like American muscle had discovered Italian fashion. With the Hellcat, it’s that big bonnet, those vents and the way the narrow headlights make the whole car look slightly annoyed. Imagine seeing that face in your mirror when you’re already doing the speed limit. Relax, it’s only me. The car looks like that all the time.

As much as I like the Hellcat’s face, my favourite-looking Charger is still the 1968 one. I love that long bonnet and the way the headlights hide in the grille. If I had to pick one to park outside my house and look back at every time I walked away, it would be the ’68. But give me the keys to both and tell me Germany is waiting? I’m taking the Hellcat.

The original 2015 Charger SRT Hellcat came with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and two keys. Use the black key and you get 500 horsepower. Use the red one and you get all 707. What makes me laugh is that Dodge looked at a car with 500 horsepower and thought, yes, that’ll do for the quiet days. I will always plan an entire road trip around hearing that engine, so I might as well let it sing.

For all that power, the bit I keep imagining is the sound. You’ve got that deep V8 roar with the higher whine of the supercharger over it. I’d happily spend the afternoon cruising just to listen to those two together. And if the route happened to take me through a tunnel, the window would be coming down. Missed my exit? There’s always the tunnel on the way back.

So yes, the Hellcat is a must-have for me and a nice addition to the garage. I’d keep the looks, the engine and every bit of that noise. I’d only ask Dodge to change one thing before they send me one.

Steering wheel on the right, please. I’d like to be able to reach the ticket machine at a car park in England.
aKi Malik