As Dodge’s 6.2-litre Hemi V8 nears the end of its life, Hennessey has squeezed 745kW from it to produce the Challenger and Charger ‘Last Stand’ editions.
The 6.2-litre Hellcat Hemi V8 is Dodge’s quintessential muscle car engine, but at the end of this year, it’ll roar into the sunset as production comes to a close after nine years. But as Dodge turns attention to its next generation of electrified performance cars, Texan tuner Hennessey is celebrating the past with two banzai special edition Hemi V8s.
Meet the Challenger and Charger ‘Last Stand’ editions: a pair of 745kW/1000bhp limited-run muscle cars that feature the most powerful version of the Hemi V8 yet (Dodge’s own Challenger SRT Demon 170 makes an extra 19kW, but only on E85 fuel).
The visual modifications are fairly subtle, but then the Challenger and Charger don’t exactly blend in to start with. Each Last Stand receives a smattering of carbonfibre aero upgrades, including a new front splitter, side skirts, rear spoiler and diffuser. Black or grey 20-inch alloys are available as an option, with ‘Last Stand’ graphics applied across the boot lid and rear quarter panels.
Each Last Stand is built from a Challenger or Charger donor car, with the upgrades centred around supplying more fuel and air to the V8 and recalibrating the ECU to suit. A high-flow induction system, uprated fuel injectors and a stainless steel manifold are among the major upgrades, supplemented by new catalytic converters and a crankcase ventilation system.
If the supplied car isn’t a factory Redeye model, Hennessey also fits a larger supercharger to reach the astonishing 745kW output. Peak torque is rated at 1285Nm, driving through the rear wheels alone as in all Chargers and Challengers.
The performance uplift is dramatic, with the Last Stand editions taking just 2.8sec to reach 60mph from rest, and completing the quarter mile in 9.9sec at 227km/h. The Last Stand package can be installed on any Charger or Challenger built from 2021 onwards, although Hennessey is limiting it to just 50 examples for each model. There’s no word on how much the upgrade costs.