2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye: Frankenstein’s Fury

Leave it to the Dodge boys to not leave well enough alone. As a matter of fact, “not leaving well enough alone” is kind of a company trademark. How else could you explain stuffing a 426 Hemi into a Dodge Dart? Speaking of putting in engines that are too big for everyday rides, say hello to the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.

Essentially, what we have here, is car engineering a la Dr. Frankenstein; a little bit from here, a little bit from there, and a brain clearly labeled “A.B. Normal.” I’m fine with that.

Wide & Wild

The 2019 Hellcat Redeye (no real explanation as to why they call it that) is, like all Mopar products since time immemorial – or at least since the end of The War – 99.999% about dat engine yo! Take the supercharged Hemi Demon V8 out of the quickest, fastest, and most powerful muscle car ever, and stuff it into this latest demi-ogre, and abracadabra: The 797 horsepower 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye!

Yes, the new 2019 Redeye is available with the Widebody Package. Yes, this definitely looks cooler than a bug on ice. Yes, you’re now 3.5 inches wider overall with improved handling and braking. Yes, the Redeye comes with larger, six-piston Brembo front brakes, wider wheels and tires, and the suspension upgrades featured on the “normal” R/T Scat Pack Widebody. Yes, the interior has some cool upgrades and there are some special wheels but, honestly, who cares about all that other stuff when you’re confronted with a powerplant like this?

2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. Photo: FCA US LLC.

Heavy Equipment

The heart of the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is sourced from its (sadly) limited-production big brother: the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. That would be the supercharged, 6.2-liter big block Hemi rated at a staggering 797 horsepower and a just as astounding 707 lb-ft. of torque. Or, about the same torque as an ocean-going tug. The blown 6.2 Hemi is mated to a TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission with internals that must have a Hulk-like disposition to things like heat, shear forces, sun-like thermal loading and such.

The Redeye mill has 25 major upgrades, including a larger supercharger, strengthened con-rods and pistons, a high-speed valve train and, thankfully, an improved lubrication system. The Redeye’s supercharged high-output engine features the largest factory supercharger on any production car: 2.7 liters, or about the displacement of a smaller BMW engine. Consider that for a moment: The blower on this thing is bigger than the engine in your car (most likely).

Said supercharger has increased boost pressure (14.5 psi) and a higher rpm limit of 6,500 rpm.

The Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye features a Brembo system with two-piece, 15.4-inch front rotors and six-piston front calipers. The combination is meant for better heat management, thermal capacity, and longevity. The new Challenger also employs an electronic power steering system that can be custom-configured via the SRT Performance Pages. Photo: FCA US LLC.

Binge Drinking

The Redeye is so thirsty it has two dual-stage fuel pumps versus the normal single pump found on lesser models. How thirsty? This thirsty: At full throttle, the high-output Hemi ingests and consumes 1.43 gallons of fuel per minute. That’s enough to completely drain the tank in just under 11 minutes – or a burn rate slightly better than a Saturn V moon rocket.

Somehow though, the Redeye still gets 22 miles per gallon in “normal” highway conditions. So dig that: It is both way faster and more powerful than a 1969 Hemi ‘Cuda (for instance) yet gets about double the fuel mileage.

You will note the new dual-snorkel hood. This new bonnet is one of three sources of intake air along with the driver’s-side Air Catcher headlamp Inlet near the wheel liner to feed the new, larger air induction box.

The SRT Power Chiller diverts the air-conditioning refrigerant from the interior cabin to a special unit mounted by the low-temperature circuit coolant pump. Charge air coolant, after being cooled by ambient air passing through a low-temperature radiator at the front of the vehicle, flows through the chiller unit, where it is further cooled. The chilled coolant then flows to the heat exchangers in the supercharger. Photo: FCA US LLC.

Hard Candy

Other goodies borrowed from the SRT Demon include Torque Reserve to deliver up to 3.9 psi of boost at launch and up to 55 percent more engine torque. Torque Reserve is active once the engine speed passes 950 rpm, and closes the bypass valve to “pre-fill” the intake with boost while better managing fuel flow and spark timing. Also along for that very short drag-strip ride are high-strength steel prop shafts for a 15 percent increase in torque capacity, and 41-spline half shafts to boost torque capacity another 20 percent.

And if you want to get all old school with this . . . this . . . beast? Ogre? Animal? Whatever, dig: The 2019 SRT Hellcat Redeye offers your choice of two final drive ratios, the standard 2.62:1 or the available 3.09:1 for “enhanced” launch capability. Trust me, you want the 3.09 gears.

All of this adds up to the 2019 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye being one of the most powerful muscle cars in history: 1/4-mile E.T. of 10.8 seconds at 131 mph and a top speed of 203 mph. You got the timing slips to beat that? Bring ’em!

Manufacturing & Availability

Production begins this fall at the Brampton, Ontario Assembly Plant, with the Challengers arriving at dealerships in the fourth quarter.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz

Challenger SRT Models	1/4-mile elapsed time/speed	Top Speed
Redeye Widebody	10.8 seconds @ 131 mph	203 mph
Hellcat Widebody	10.9 seconds @ 127 mph	195 mph
Redeye	11.1 seconds @ 131 mph	203 mph
Hellcat	11.2 seconds @ 125 mph	199 mph

2019 Dodge Challenger Gallery

Photos & Source: FCA US LLC.

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The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Should “Nose” Out The Competition

Have you ever looked across a crowded room and said to yourself, “Wow, he or she sure is hot . . . except for that nose!” Yeah, well, the new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is like that. It works from a whole bunch of different angles, but the entire grille treatment is way off.

Specifically, the radiator aperture, the opening, is way too big and out of proportion with the rest of the car. Sure, I understand there are thermodynamic concerns here (i.e. this thing has to put out a ton of heat and has cooling needs slightly less than Chernobyl on a bad day) but the people from Gaydon could have finessed that a little better.

Team Effort

Or, let’s set the dead fish where it belongs, at the Milanese drafting tables of Superleggera, the Italian design maestros that sculpted the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. Superleggera, the Italian auto design firm famed for their work on early Ferraris, Alfas, Lancias and such, were tapped by the venerable Aston Martin to have a tilt at a sort of hot-rodded DBS, and the result is pretty fantastic.

Apart from that nose.

Of course this is not the first time AM and Superleggera have worked together, having collaborated on the DB4, 5, and 6 Mark 1. The new DBS Superleggera is clothed in impeccably sculpted carbon fiber body panels. Gone are the days of the Italian firm using ultra-thin aluminum alloy body panels, hand beaten into shape and then suspended over the spaceframe chassis with a multitude of teeny, tiny little tubes to hold the entire thing up.

Nah, time marches on, and as cool and old school as that was, molding even lighter body panels out of composites is a much better way to go.

The front grille of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera consists of a honeycomb design; the automaker says they took inspiration from how honeycombs are so often found in nature. Photo: Aston Martin The Americas.

Power & Performance

All this new tech adds up to a dry weight of 1693kg (around 3,700 lbs.) and tips the weights and measures with a 51:49 weight distribution. In other words, just a little nose heavy. Which sort of follows, given that the DBS Superleggera is powered by Aston Martin’s 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12, cranking out 725PS and 900Nm of torque. That translates as 715 ponies and around 660 lb-ft. of grunt.

All this veddy British goodness rides on your choice of two alloy wheels: the standard “Y” Spoke Forged Wheel or the Lightweight Twin Spoke Forged Wheel. Both are mounted with Pirelli tires.

Add all that up and the DBS Superleggera dispatches a zero to 62 mph time of just 3.4 seconds, hits 100 mph in 6.4 seconds, and tops out at 211 mph. Aston further mentions this beast of a ride has enough mid-range power to accelerate from 50 to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds. In fourth gear. Impressive.

With an F1-inspired double-diffuser, the DBS Superleggera generates 180kg of downforce at VMAX, the highest figure ever for a series production Aston Martin. Photo: Aston Martin The Americas.

Transmission, Chassis & Technology

Speaking of gears, the DBS Superleggera uses a new, rear-mounted ZF eight-speed automatic/mechanical limited-slip differential with torque vectoring. Yes, the DBS Superleggera is rear-wheel drive only. The chassis itself is the latest generation of the lightweight bonded aluminum structures first seen on Aston’s DB11. There’s forged double wishbones at the front and a multi-link system at the back. Adaptive damping is standard, and both the powertrain and chassis offer three dynamic modes; GT, Sport, and Sport Plus.

And although the Superleggera aims to be “Super Light” as the name implies, it does not scrimp on the goodies. Keyless entry, tire pressure monitoring system, a 360-degree camera, and Park Assist are in the mix. The stereo has DAB plus Bluetooth audio and phone streaming, and iPod, iPhone, and USB playback.

The satellite navigation system is fully integrated; the WiFi hub, plus all the in-car infotainment systems use a central LCD screen, controlled via a dial.

Photo: Aston Martin The Americas.

Pricing & Availability

Prices start at $304,995 in the USA with deliveries expected to begin this fall.

Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Gallery

Photos & Source: Aston Martin The Americas.

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Well ’ard: Redmax’s ultra rapid Triumph scrambler

If you live in the UK and you want a fast street tracker or a well-sorted flat track racer, you call Steve Hillary of Redmax Speed Shop. He’s got a reputation that most builders would kill for—and he builds a mean café racer too.

Steve is an old-school bike nut who spends more time working on his bikes than his website or Facebook page. And it’s not often we get the chance to examine one of his builds closely. But this very fast Triumph street scrambler has made the wait worthwhile.

If you went to the Bike Shed show a few weeks ago, you’ll have seen this monster in the metal. Steve built it for a client who already has a Redmax bike in his garage, and wanted a ‘hard as nails’ road bike with an electric start.

“We built Andy my favorite-ever tracker about five years back,” Steve recalls. “It had a Triumph T120 motor in one of our monoshock tracker frames, a serpent-like set of high pipes, and was painted in green with copper accents.”

“Everyone was happy—until Andy’s bad leg stopped him kick-starting it!” So Steve suggested building a new bike, using one of Redmax’s new Hinckley Bonneville tracker frames in the shop, designed for electric start engines.

It’s a very light frame, tipping the scales at just 16 kg (36 lbs.) including the swingarm. So Andy agreed, specifying only that the bike would need to work on the motorway and on the trails around his Hampshire home

Steve and chief fabricator Glenn Moger got down to work in their Devon headquarters. They slotted an 865cc Bonneville engine (with 270 degree firing interval) into the lightweight frame, and juiced it up with a pair of 38mm Mikuni carbs connected to a quick-action motocross-spec throttle.

The stainless steel 2-into-2 high pipes are terminated with alloy mufflers, which can be re-packed—just like those on enduro bikes from the 80s.

The motor looks the part, with finned engine covers in a raw finish imported from the US. Steve then blasted a Motone sprocket cover to match. (“Two k that little lot cost!” he laughs.)

There’s a huge alloy bash plate to protect that essential starter, plus the sump and oil filter.

Redmax bikes are always well set-up, and this Triumph is no exception. The forks are fully adjustable Yamaha YZF-R6 items, slotted into billet yokes produced to Steve’s design by the precision engineers at Fastec.

The heavy-duty shocks are from RFY—an eBay favorite with surprisingly good quality, especially if carefully rebuilt.

Steve is lucky to have one of England’s best wheel builders just half an hour down the road—Dave Massam. Dave fashioned up a set of alloy rims, powdercoated black, and fitted with stainless spokes.

They’re fitted with Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires, and Steve reckons it’s the first set of this cult rubber to make it into the UK. “They were imported from Australia, and once I saw them, I knew they were the ones. They’re 120 mph rated too—and hard as f–k to fit!”

The Brembo brakes have been lifted from a Ducati Monster, fed by fluid from HEL lines and mated to discs and hubs from an Aprilia Pegaso.

Another touch of practicality is in the lighting gear. “We had to have great lights, so we found the biggest rear light we could fit under the Redmax Astro seat, and some high-intensity indicators front and back,” says Steve.

A defining feature is the dual-halogen Baja headlamp setup, hand-fabbed in the Redmax shop with a race number board hidden under the leather toolbag. The brown leather was crafted by Glenn, along with the seat pad with a Redmax logo sewn in. The color is matched to the Biltwell grips, which Steve is a fan of.

The super-sleek bodywork comes from the Redmax catalog. “We needed the tank to have plenty of capacity,” says Steve.

“Our teardrop large XR alloy tank holds 2.75 gallons (over 10 liters), and is the biggest thing that looks any good on a scrambler / tracker bike. It should supply plenty of juice to the Mikunis fitted on the other end of that fast action throttle!”

The paint on the tank and seat unit was designed to stand out. It’s a Ferrari metallic red (chosen by client Andy), mated to a pearly white chosen by Steve, and laid down by Lee Cockeram at Roosters Voodoo in the port city of Southampton.

The rest of the bike is has a thick coat of black powder, which was turned around in just a week by Leighton at West Taunton Powder Coating. (“Yes, one week! They are very thorough too.”)

The electrics are hidden under the seat, powered by a lithium ion battery and controlled by a Motogadget m.unit. Motogadget also supplied the buttons on the Redmax flat track bars, but the digital dash is from Koso. There’s an RFID unit under the seat hump to allow for keyless starting.

All that was left was to give the bike a name, and Steve came up with ‘The Knobbler.’ It’s a play on English slang—as in getting ‘knobbled’ if you get hurt. And of course Poms call off-road tires ‘knobblies’ rather than ‘knobbies.’

It’s a subtle reminder that a bike as light and fast as this Triumph can bite if not treated with care.

As Steve says, “You want be the knobbler, not the knobbled!”

Redmax Speed Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Greg Moss

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