Dodge Delays Last Call Finale Over Exploding Engines

In recent months, we’ve heard plenty about Dodge’s Last Call special series of Challenger and Charger models released to celebrate the models before they get replaced by electrified alternatives. But the carmaker has hit a hitch with its final and most highly anticipated edition. According to reports, the seventh Last Call release will be delayed because the engines Dodge is planning for the model keep blowing up during testing.

The seventh Last Call special edition was due to be revealed at the 2022 SEMA Show, and Dodge has been teasing fans for weeks. But in light of the explosive news, the final Last Call will not debut at the event.

So far Dodge has revealed six special edition Charger and Challenger models, including the Challenger Black Ghost and the awkwardly-named Challenger and Charger Swinger edition. Dodge has been saving the most exciting of the bunch till last, though, hinting that the car will be even more extreme than the usual 6.2-litre V8 Hellcat-powered models, and possibly even more powerful than the Dodge Demon.

Yes, rumours have been gathering pace that Dodge could be set to unveil a version of the Challenger capable of running on E85 race fuel fuel to produce as much as 897bhp. For context, that’s around 199bhp more than the original 6.2-litre Hellcat engine when it debuted in 2015, and at least 69bhp more than the Dodge Demon running E85.

If Dodge is really trying to squeeze such extreme power figures out of the engines, it looks like the carmaker may have inadvertently created a near-900bhp ticking time bomb. That said, it sounds like Dodge’s lab experiments consist of some pretty extensive endurance testing, with engines running hard for hundreds of hours.

Dodge CEO Timothy Kuniskis has said that he thinks the brand has “got it figured out – if we don’t blow up more engines” and hopes to have the upcoming finale to the Last Call celebration of two of the brand’s most iconic models released before the end of the year.

Frustrating, but delaying the launch is probably the best decision – we wouldn’t want our car to explode just after taking delivery…