John Belushi helps us understand the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat

A first-hand account of the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat explained by a classic scene we all know and love.

Dodge has been very generous to the motor press by getting a lot of writers into the 2105 Hellcat Challenger. At a recent track event held at the wonderful Monticello Motor Club in New York, I had the chance to try the 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat on the track. What occurred to me after my short, but memorable drive, was that a famous movie scene could best describe the car's personality.

The Hellcat is John Belushi’s Bluto in Animal House when he smashes the hipster’s guitar. He walks calmly to the center of the staircase (the Hellcat is coaxed to the starting line). Blutto listens for a moment (tighten chinstrap and pull seatbelt tight one last time). And then it happens.

When driving this car, one does not nurse it up to speed. No. You hammer the throttle, and it explodes off the line using all 707 horsepower and charges downrange like a .50 cal slug from a Barrett. There is nothing subtle and nothing delicate about this beast. One second all is calm. The next the world is rushing past you, and it is loud and a bit violent and scary.

If you are a fan of the Hellcat, you have already read cold hard numbers about the zero to sixty and quarter mile times the Hellcat can produce. Driver/writers with more skills than I possess on a track have dissected the handling and braking and used terms like “lift-throttle over-steer” and “trail braking.” The Hellcat is the most mental car I have ever driven. Watch the video.

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