For many Mopar fans, choosing between a Dodge Charger with Hellcat firepower and one sporting 392 motivation may not come easily. Sure, the first has all the muscle you could wish for, but the latter arguably sports a meaner soundtrack and perhaps offers a more balanced driving experience. Then there are the enthusiasts who like to mix the two, with this 2018 Dodge Charger Daytona 392 Hellcat being an example of how such a mix is achieved.
This bad boy started out in life as a 2018 Dodge Charger Daytona 392 with a standard body (the Widebody option wasn’t available back then). So, not only did it pack a 485 hp naturally aspirated 6.4L HEMI, but it also paid tribute to the legendary 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that set a 200 mph closed course NASCAR record. Sure, the modern version skips the nose cone and the massive wing, but it remains an impressive muscle machine.
Owner Daniel Moritz went looking for some added motivation, which is why he installed a Hellcat supercharger. Now, the 2.4L IHI twin-screw blower delivers 11.6 lbs of boost on the standard Hellcat engine, but this was limited to 5 lbs to avoid blowing the motor. However, as brilliant as the 392 HEMI is, it wasn’t built to deal with forced induction, which is why the engine quickly spun a bearing.
Within a week, the owner had the motor fully built to keep up with the Hellcat supercharger, which brings us to the current form of the muscle sedan.
The Charger went to the gym
The full list of goodies on the car also includes other Hellcat hardware (camshafts, crank, oil pump, and rockers, as well as the fuel system). Then we have the forged internals, namely Mahle forged pistons and Molnar H Beam rods.
In addition, the V8 was gifted with a Killer Chiller (a refrigerated heat exchanger that makes us think of the factory hardware on the Challenger SRT Demon), a JLT cold air intake, catless mid-pipes, and a Corsa Extreme cat-back exhaust.
Speaking of the exhaust, the video below, which comes from YouTuber R/T Life (you’ll see his Charger 392 gone 395 twin-turbo in the background), delivers a respectable aural sample for the hybrid HEMI setup the grey Daytona protagonist packs.
While the vehicle has yet to be dynoed, the owner estimates that the new output sits at about 650 hp and 650 hp lb-ft of twist, which is quite close to the 707 hp and 650 lb-ft the standard Hellcat offers.
Muscle aside, the 2018 Charger keeps a clean look, with the grey sedan sporting an OEM widebody and riding on Air Lift suspension.
Oh, and let’s not forget the custom 392 Supercharged badges on the fenders—we wonder if a potential rival would be able to spot these before engaging in a drag race with the beast.
