What It Is: The long-rumored 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat being put through its paces under gloomy skies. Wearing but tiny strips of camo on its front and rear fascias, Chrysler apparently feels that, since the 2015 Challenger update was revealed at the New York auto show, cloaking measures are no longer required for the Hellcat’s nearly identical exterior.

Unfortunately for them, our savvy photogs caught one in the wild, immediately zeroing in on the Hellcat’s telltale center-mounted and front-facing air-intake scoop. Even better, they managed to snag a shot with the Challenger’s hood raised, exposing the massive supercharger that, for those of a certain age, will likely bring to mind the “rat roaster” aftermarket intakes favored by brave Challenger Hemi owners during the pony car’s first go-round some 40 years ago. Sure the technology is completely different (with a distinct lack of carburetion), but evoking the past has been part of the modern Challenger’s appeal since day one. In addition to the Viper-esque hood scoop, it appears the Challenger Hellcat will pack the same revised front fascias, deep air dam, LED headlight halo, and taillamps as the rest of the Challenger lineup.

View Photos KGP PHOTOGRAPHY, THE MANUFACTURER

Why It Matters: The pony-car war is still on full boil, and Dodge needs to keep the Challenger interesting in the face of the redesigned 2015 Mustang and its forthcoming Shelby GT350 variant rumored to be packing a flat-plane “Voodoo” V-8. And then there are the Camaro ZL-1 and the Z/28. Bragging rights mean a lot in this segment, and if it takes forced induction to keep the Challenger relevant, you wont hear a whimper of complaint from us.

Platform: Nothing new here, the Challenger Hellcat is expected to soldier on with the same shortened LX platform as its siblings. We wouldn’t be surprised if Chrysler tweaked spring rates, dampers and bushings for Hellcat duty, and the bright-red Brembo calipers seen in the images appear to be a tad more substantial than those in current use.

Powertrain: Initial rumors pegged the Hellcat’s numbers somewhere just north of 600 horsepower and with 575 lb-ft of torque, but recent remarks made by SRT chief Ralph Gilles insinuated that the final number may top the 640-hp output of the V-10–powered Viper. The current 6.4-liter Hemi generates 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft, and pushing the horsepower number beyond 600 via forced induction is the easy part; making it tractable and durable is where the work is done. [UPDATE: We have confirmation that the supercharged engine will displace 6.2 liters.] Reports are that the Hemi will back up to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic.

View Photos KGP PHOTOGRAPHY, THE MANUFACTURER

Competition: Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Estimated Arrival and Price: Our latest intel has the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat arriving in the third quarter of 2014 as 2015 model. Pricing is up in the air, but with the current Challenger SRT8 ringing in with an MSRP just south of $47,000, you can bet the Hellcat will be north of the $50K mark.

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