Back when the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat was announced, Dodge CEO Tim Kiniskis referred to the Hellcat as a “science project”, and commented that not everyone really needs this kind of power.
But it really might have been more apt to say that not everyone can handle this kind of power, as evidenced by the ongoing stream of stories and videos as of late that chronicle everything from Hellcats that have had their faces rearranged by trees shortly after leaving the showroom to utterly botched drag strip passes rife with wheel spin and disappointing times.
Dodge has stated that the Hellcat is capable of dishing out 11.2 second quarter mile times right out of the showroom, and that 10.8 second passes are possible just by swapping in a set of drag radials (runs which were certified by the NHRA prior to the announcement). But many have been wondering if the car was really capable of such lofty claims.
As it turns out, the Hellcat just needed to get into the right hands, as the crew at Burns Motors took a showroom stock Challenger Hellcat equipped with the 8-speed automatic gearbox out to Edinburg Raceway and posted a record-setting 11.05 at 126.12 miles per hour.
And as an added bonus, here’s a second video from Burns Motors showing another Challenger Hellcat knocking out a pass at 10.48. According to the video, this Challenger Hellcat is slightly modified, running drag radials and race fuel, though we’re a little skeptical that we’re getting the whole story here, as modern ECUs usually require remapping to utilize the performance potential of race fuel. Still, pretty incredible stuff.