It seems that the automotive world has decided that there is a replacement for displacement and it’s kilowatts. Even Dodge, the world’s greatest lover of the cubic-inch, has admitted that electrification is becoming necessary. But as it phases out the V8, where should it put its most famous engine before the party ends?
It’s not an entirely hypothetical question. Dodge’s head of sales, Matt McAlear, recently said that electric and hybrid muscle cars are coming, although it will take some time. And there are opportunities in that time.
“I’m extremely excited about where the future is going, but right now everybody is enjoying ‘the bachelor party.’ This is the last hurrah,” McAlear said.
Read Also: This Insane Dodge Power Wagon School Bus Has A Hellcat V8
The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 Hellcat engine has already gone a lot of places – muscle cars, pickup trucks, Jeeps – but I still find it curious that the Chrysler 300 has never gotten the engine. Add some better muffling, some fancier materials, make it a little more luxurious and you’ve got yourself a powerful premium sedan.
And that’s certainly not the most ridiculous Hellcat home I can think of. We recently posted some renderings of a Chrysler Pacifica Hellcat that has exactly the “just so crazy it might work” spirit that I look for in a fun engine-vehicle combination.
Still, even that’s kind of sensible compared to where I think the engine should go. My vote goes to the Fiat 500 Abarth, and I implore you to stick with me as I defend this nonsense. Sure, it would be a lot of work, and certainly, 707 hp in a sporty city car is pure madness, but bear with me.
When the 500 Abarth came out, Jeremy Clarkson complained that it lacked the ridiculousness of older Abarths, which had engines so big the hood couldn’t close. Take the back seats out of a 500, shoehorn the Hellcat in, and put those French “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” with their V6 hot hatches in their place.
There are few things the world loves better than a car with entirely too much engine. Few series are as well-loved as rallying’s Group B (which pioneered this kind of nuttiness) and nothing is as en vogue right now as the French mid-engine hot hatches of the ’80s and aughts. This would be something analogous to the W12 Golf GTI, a nutjob that, sadly but unsurprisingly, remained just a concept. Yes, a 707 hp Fiat 500 doesn’t make good sense, but since when has the Hellcat been about making sense?
How about you? Where would you put the Hellcat next if you were in charge of such decisions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
