Sometimes, wishful thinking takes one places. Alas, the convertible version of the Dodge Challenger, which so many buyers dreamt of, is one of the exceptions—now that the current Challenger is preparing to retire, it’s obvious all the rumors were in vain, at least for this iteration of the muscle car. Oh well, at least the Challenger “muscle kart” we have here may partially cater to the needs of those seeking such a machine.
This piece of America is just what you think it is, namely a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Redeye that got involved in a crash. However, instead of parting out the thing as it normally happens, a specialist dubbed Cleveland Power and Performance decided to sell the thing in one piece. A running and driving donor car, in other words.
Due to obvious safety reasons, you can’t just hop in and go for a drive on public roads. However, this 797-pony monster can leave its torsional rigidity issues behind and become one hell of a smoke machine on private property, as demonstrated in the short clip below.
Then again, it’s more likely that somebody will grab the Mopar machine, have a bit of fun with it and then leave the slashed-up body behind, putting all those delicious oily bits to work.
With the odometer reading just 16,000 miles (41,000 km), a cheeky salesperson would tell you this thing is barely broken in, even though that line might be a bit more difficult to digest given the… ahem… bodywork inconvenience.
Nevertheless, the 6.2-liter HEMI, the eight-speed automatic with the paddle shifters—the Redeye doesn’t come with a manual—the suspension and the brakes should be just what the doctor ordered for a build. And if you consider that we live in a car customization era with no boundaries (want proof of that? how about this BMW platform-riding, Challenger Hellcat-faced 1965 Ford Mustang?), who knows what kind of panels will be wrapped around the supercharged insanity that is this Hellcat Redeye package?
Hey, with the cabin appearing mostly untouched, save for some of the airbags and perhaps the door trim, you could always lift off the navigation for an all-amenities-included project, so your passengers can ride in comfort while you dip your big toe into the endless torque of the HEMI motor.
