As Americans, and especially Californians, a lot of us love fast cars. But what happens when the speeds of our cars surpass the safety training of the average driver? Let’s take a look at understanding what the Hellcat trend includes, how it could impact you as a driver on the road, and why it can be a good idea to be extra wary if you see a Hellcat driving erratically in your vicinity.
What is a Hellcat?
The Hellcat is a very powerful engine released by Dodge. Currently, it is only offered in Dodge Challengers and Dodge Chargers. They are marked with a Hellcat emblem, which is a silver screaming wildcat found by the driver’s side front wheel.
The engine is a supercharged 6.2 Hemi engine. It has 707 horsepower and it produces 650 lb-ft of torque. It is capable of speeds over 200 miles per hour. As an engineer on the newest version explained, “Hellcat-equipped SRT8s have two power modes…»street and kill.” Street mode is just a little more powerful than the normal SRT. Kill mode, as I call it, is just clinically insane.»
Dodge knows who their audience is, as you can tell from the marketing style. The “kill” and “street” modes discussed above are “activated by choosing one’s key fob: the black fob limits the engine to 500 hp, while the red one taps the engine’s full potential of 707 horsepower.”
So, in its essence, the Hellcat is a Charger or Challenger that is offered with a supercharged engine capable of going very, very fast. And the popularity they are enjoying right now is a reflection of our modern interest in American muscle cars, raw power and unchecked speeds.
Why is it dangerous?
You would hope that anyone purchasing or, at the very least, driving a Hellcat would know about speed and power. And that they would know how to be responsible. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The Hellcats attract car and engine aficionados and lovers of all kinds. But, they also attract a reckless and inexperienced element from a younger population.
There are people who are attracted to the idea of the car, but these people do not always know how to control such a wild ride. Besides ignorance, there is also willful defiance of safety laws. For example, there is an online trend of reckless driving in Hellcats at intersections, where the driver performs a wide circle through the area. In the time between the changing of the lights. There are other such stunts becoming popular too, those that range from the disruptive to the outright dangerous. You can leave someone in the dust in this car, and some people can’t resist playing with that power.’
One such dangerous driver just proved the need for safe driving at a local car event in Colorado. He was showing off the car’s power and ended up driving into a truck, which is just one of many similar accidents.
