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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... 'Deer Summit' will be televised ... Arson leaves Talent woman with few options ... Chris Honoré: The canary in the coal mine ... Silvio Calabi: Meet the Dodge (rumble, rumble) Hellcat! Comment By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 7:53 AM By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 7:53 AM » Social News Real power has gotten not only plentiful but cheap. Back in the Dark Age of the car — the 1970s, when we were rudely confronted by gas shortages and tailpipe emissions — even Corvettes and Porsches could barely summon up 200 horsepower. Today there are VWs beetling around with 300 horses under their hoods, and million-dollar road cars with a thousand horsepower emerge from factories in France, Italy, England, Germany, the U.S., Sweden and even Denmark. Inevitably, the power-cost curve is flattening out and dropping. For example: The fluorescent-green, 204-mph Dodge Challenger Hellcat that’s fascinating boys of all ages in our neighborhood this week belts out a staggering 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque — at a base price of just $60,990, including destination fee and a whopping $1,700 Gas Guzzler Tax. That’s $86.27 per horse. Comparables, you ask? A Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce with 741 horsepower starts at $494,000, or $667 per pony. A top-end Corvette, the Z06, comes in at just $125 per horsepower, but it’s only got 650 of them. On paper, the closest thing to the Hellcat might be, of all things, a battery-powered sedan: A 691-hp Tesla P85D — the Model S with the Ludicrous Speed Upgrade — starts at $105,670, or $153/hp. Dodge created the most powerful muscle car ever by adding a supercharger to a 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 with specially forged and hardened crankshaft, pistons and connecting rods, high-load bushings and bearings, and aluminum-alloy cylinder heads toughened to take extra heat. The resultant thunder gets to the pavement through a locking rear differential and custom 186-mph Pirelli steamroller tires on 20-inch forged aluminum wheels — backed up by six-piston Brembo brakes (also Italian) with front rotors the size of large pizzas. A beefed-up eight-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission with shift paddles is available; our car had the six-speed Tremec manual gearbox with a clutch pedal evidently lifted from a leg-press machine at the gym. Other mega-power cars cost so very much more than this Dodge partly because they also have all-wheel drive, rear transaxles, electric clutches, suspensions and aerodynamic flaps that self-adjust and so forth — high technology that makes their overwhelming thrust much more usable. At heart, our Hellcat is still a Saturday-night street racer meant to blast from one stoplight to another and then vanish before the cops arrive. But while this is classic, old-school Detroit muscle pumped up (at the factory!) to unimaginable strength, the Hellcat is no stone axe. First, it’s rattle- and flex-free like none of its ancestors ever was. It’s also properly equipped. The Hellcat has pushbutton ignition, high-intensity headlamps, a backup camera and parking assistance, blind-spot and rear cross-path monitors, three-way-adjustable suspension dampers, electronic stability and traction control, rain-sensing wipers, dual automatic heating and cooling zones, and audio controls on the steering wheel — which is heated. The interior is trimmed in leather, Alcantara and something that looks like carbon fiber, and the power-adjustable front seats are true sport buckets and really comfortable. The Hellcat is digital too, with Bluetooth connectability and voice command, and a dazzling menu of gauges and meters plus modes that set up the car for Sport, Track or Street. Our car also had $1,385 worth of options: GPS navigation, Sirius traffic and travel alerts and, um, red seat belts. All things considered — the hellish clutch, the rear-wheel-only drive, the roar, the heavy, deliberate shifts and steering, the savage acceleration, the unforgiving ride and the overall size and heft of the beast — the Hellcat is surprisingly balanced and easy to drive. And, also unlike ‘60s muscle cars, it can stop very hard and snake through corners aggressively, if the surface is smooth and dry. (A bumpy or puddle-covered road is not the ‘Cat’s meow.) In good conditions, the Hellcat is capable of some civility, if not docility. It’s like walking your pet grizzly bear: fun and special, but pay attention or it can get out of hand. Ah, but power corrupts, doesn’t it? Absolutely! As the Hellcat snorts and paws the ground, Prius drivers look away and construction workers raise their hard hats and grin. Whether you see it as a cultural icon or anti-social demon, the Hellcat surely delivers more bang for the buck than any other car in history. Likes - Endless, rambunctious power - Demands/rewards the driver’s attention - Unbeatable bang-for-buck Dislikes - Overall size and mass - 16 mpg average — but who’s surprised? Silvio Calabi reviews the latest from Detroit, Munich, Yokohama, Gothenburg, Crewe, Seoul and wherever else interesting cars are born. Silvio is a member of the International Motor Press Association whose automotive reviews date back to the Reagan administration. He is the former publisher of Speedway Illustrated magazine and an author. Contact him at calabi.silvio @gmail.com. By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Aug. 31, 2015 at 7:53 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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