The 2019 Springfest events included the introduction of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept, leaving many people to wonder if the 2020 show will bring about another introduction – such as the supercharged sedan with the unique hood shown here.
The 2020 Spring Festival of LX marks the 15th anniversary of what has become the biggest modern Mopar event in the United States, drawing thousands of Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Magnum, and Chrysler 300 owners to Southern California for a weekend of show cars and drag racing. Over the past few years, FCA has become more involved with the event that is more commonly known as Springfest, offering thrill rides, brand displays and, in 2019, the world debut of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept.
The Springfest 2020 will be held on March 20th and 21st, and as you might imagine, the event has a busy Facebook page. On that Facebook page, there have been two images posted that have captured the attention of many Mopar fans. One is the current profile picture and the other is a wall photo. The profile picture shows a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody in red, flanked by a 300C SRT and a 2019 or 2020 Challenger Hellcat. The second simply shows a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody in blue. What makes these Chargers special and what has gotten some people talking is the hood on the Charger in those two pictures.
As to can see in the pictures here from the Springfest Facebook page, this Hellcat Charger has a massive hood scoop, similar to the design of the hood on the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon. This unique hood has some people believing that this Charger is the Hellcat Redeye version and that it will be introduced at the 2020 Spring Festival of LX.
We’re not so sure, and here is why.
Charger Hellcat Redeye Fanfare
If and when Dodge rolls out a Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye with the 797-horsepower, supercharged V8, I don’t think that it will be so simply shown off on social media. When the sedan does debut with nearly 800 horsepower, we can expect some teasers from Dodge leading up to a big, public introduction. Should that car come to production, it is going to be a big deal and honestly, I could see them introducing it, at Springfest, even if only as a concept.
What I can’t see Dodge doing is revealing the Redeye Charger on a promotional image for the event. When the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Concept was introduced at Springfest, the event promotional images showed a covered car. If they kept the widebody concept under wraps, it seems highly unlikely that the Redeye Charger’s appearance would be shown in advance of the event without any mention from FCA.
In short, I cant imagine FCA letting the cat out of the bag like this, so sadly, I don’t believe that the Springfest images provide our first look at the Charger Hellcat Redeye – but I hope that I am wrong.
So What Is It?
There are quite a few privately owned Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats owned by active social media users who have added a Demon-style hood to their supercharged sedan. In fact, one of the cars in the 9th Fast and Furious movie is a 2019 Charger with a widebody package and a hood with a huge scoop like this. The car shown in the Springfest promotional images could show a privately owned car, or whoever designed the graphics may have used the movie car for an example.
The other possibility, which is more interesting than this being a privately owned car, but not as interesting as the debut of the Redeye is a new production hood for the Charger. It seems unlikely that Dodge would introduce the Hellcat Redeye without any fanfare, but it is far more likely that they would introduce a new hood design.
The 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition model offers 717 horsepower, 10 more than the standard Charger Hellcat. Perhaps for 2021, the non-Daytona Hellcat Chargers will get a bump to 717 horsepower and a new hood.
In any case, we should know more on March 20th when Springfest 2020 opens in Southern California.
Patrick Rall is a professional writer and photographer with a passion for all things automotive. Patrick has been sharing his automotive expertise in automotive journalism from Detroit for more than a decade covering the Big Three. Having grown up in his father’s performance shop, he spent extensive time at the oval track and drag strip – both driving and wrenching on various types of vehicles. In addition to working as a writer, Patrick previously worked as an automotive technician before moving on to a business office position with a chain of dealerships, and this broad spectrum of experience in the industry allows him to offer a unique look on the automotive world. Follow Patrick on Youtube and Twitter.