This 1150bhp Challenger Hellcat Still Can’t Beat A McLaren 720S

Despite a 440bhp advantage on paper over the standard, but insanely quick British supercar, this massively upgraded Challenger Hellcat still isn’t quite fast enough…

Matt Kimberley

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

We all know that if you tune a slower car you can make it faster than cars that originally had the upper hand. It’s not rocket science; just plain, old, ordinary physics and we love it.

These tuning exercises often throw up surprising comparisons. This Challenger Hellcat owner, for instance, has uprated his car’s V8 with a much bigger supercharger and a whole suite of power-boosting extras for an output of 1150bhp… and yet it still can’t outpace a standard McLaren 720S in a 45-160mph drag.

It’s not that the Hellcat is slow, by any means. It’s just that the 720S is ridiculous…

Comments

yeah sure, give more power to a brick shaped “thing” and expect it to beat a purpose designed, state of the art supercar….. oh, and the hellcat uses a supercharged pushrod engine, that is NOT efficient compared to a DOHC turbocharged one… european (or japanese for that matter) engineering > ‘murican bruteforce

implying that one engine represents all engines across the same country

It’s not even a matter of engine efficiency. It’s a damn drag race. Heat the tires, stage, launch, shift, and keep it straight. Besides, a stock Hellcat is as fast as a DB11. No love lost there lol.

https://youtu.be/YIcAt-GjMEs

Bloop

of course since the mclaren is 5 tonnes lighter than the dodge

Dodge needs to stop bragging so much. Just make a car and say it’s kinda fast.

the mclaren has 39% less power but 30% less weight.
something doesnt add up right the dodge should win

It’s not as easy as saying “best power to weight = fastest car”. The Dodge has a massive aerodynamic disadvantage. Gearing also plays a role, though I don’t know how either one is geared. Besides, McLaren’s horsepower claim for the 720S is very conservative. It has been measured to have well over 750 bhp on the dyno already.