At 707 HP, the Hellcat is a formidable machine

Terra Nicolay is an executive at Chevron who became one of the first people in Texas to own a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, the new muscle car that boasts the most powerful engine ever placed in a standard production American car. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, in Houston. less Terra Nicolay is an executive at Chevron who became one of the first people in Texas to own a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, the new muscle car that boasts the most powerful engine ever placed in a standard ... more Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close At 707 HP, the Hellcat is a formidable machine 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

At first glance, there is little to distinguish a Dodge Challenger Hellcat from the garden-variety and ever-practical 6-cylinder Challenger, the version which offers reasonable gas mileage and a price tag within the budget of a large swath of the car-buying public.

You won't see a blaring nameplate or gaudy decal. Even the colors of the first few to show up hereabouts - silver, black, red - are the same that fill most every church parking lot on Sunday morning.

But look closer. Train the eye specifically on a snarling, stylized cat visage a few inches in diameter placed a foot or so from the front wheel wells. For those in the know, that tiny emblem tells the tale of Detroit's latest combatant in the renewed horsepower war.

And for those not, all they need do is listen. At the push of a button, this beast in sheep's clothing wakes up with a deafening growl. When the gas pedal is pushed, the car all but vanishes in the distance before you can say "what the he......" And it ain't heading to church.

Make no mistake, the throttle on a Hellcat demands attention. When you give it, the response is instantaneous. Bat out of hell comes to mind as one fumbles to describe the sensation of the Hellcat climbing through the gearbox, never slowing or reaching its limit.

The speedometer goes up to 200 mph, and one senses this is no vanity designation. Finding a stretch of pavement to reach maximum speed without risking incarceration may be a challenge. But anyone who drives one wants to know: How fast might it go?

It was a cool day at the drag strip behind Hennessey Performance Engineering's shop in Sealy. The tires on the Hellcat loaned to the Chronicle by Dodge were the same rubber that comes standard from the factory. But that didn't stop John Hennessey, the founder of the nationally known tuner shop, from turning in run after run under 12 seconds.

With a warmer track and some drag radials and a bit more familiarity with the car's setup, who knows?

"This is a car you have to respect," Hennessey said. "Especially when you consider that this is coming straight out of the box."

Dodge bills the Hellcat, with its specially tuned 707 HP Hemi engine, as the most powerful American muscle car ever. Hennessey was in no mood to quibble with the assertion, as far as factory versions go.

His company modifies performance cars well past that threshold. One of his creations holds the record for world's fastest sports car. His modified GMC Yukon Denali - with a curb weight pushing 6,000 pounds - jumps off the line and will give any muscle car a run for its money in the first eighth of a mile while turning in an elapsed time under 14 seconds. But the Hellcat provides its thrills with no modifications or trips to the tuner shop needed.

Hellcat owners must only pore over the owner's manual and try to decipher the myriad different settings provided by the touch-screen interface with the car's sophisticated computer controls. Every element of the drive train, or so it seems, can be tweaked with the right sequence of touches.

Even better, race the car at your local strip as much as you want. Run it hard, run it often. If you blow the engine, Dodge will replace it.

Off the track in city traffic, where most driving takes place, the Hellcat is plenty nimble and responsive. With a suspension far tighter than the mushy RT version, the car announces the presence of every bump, crack and pothole on Houston's streets. There is no way around it. The advantage over rivals Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro is enough weight and heft to keep the pain to a minimum.

Of course, Challenger's weight and longer wheelbase are disadvantages for those who do their sport driving on road courses. And before the Hellcat was born, critics also chided the Challenger for not packing enough oomph, especially when Mustang and Camaro began to offer versions with well over 500 HP.

Dodge did not want to sacrifice comfort for road-course performance, CEO Tim Kuniskis said, but it did take to heart the power shortage. So the Hellcat was conceived, specifically designed to kick butt in a straight line while still offering a roomy interior, pretty much any luxury amenity desired, and a trunk that can hold golf clubs, the kids' sports gear and some luggage - at the same time.

"If we tried to satisfy (critics) and trim weight off it and make it shorter, we're going to turn off the other 95 percent who want it bigger and heavier - the everyday regular driver who wants a comfortable car," Kuniskis said. "So we decided, why not put the biggest most powerful engine in it and satisfy both camps."

So far the reviews are good and the factory cannot yet keep up with demand for the Hellcat whose base model comes in at $60,000.

David Boyd, a member of a local car club devoted to Chrysler products, took a few runs down the Hennessey track and predicted the Hellcat will occupy a useful niche. Its owner can go racing on Friday night, comfortably cruise up to Austin to visit relatives on the weekend, then drive it to work Monday morning. What's not to like?

"You can eat your cake and have it, too," he said.