BEHIND THE SCENES: Fiat Shelved Hellcat In 2011 But Engineers Would Not Let It Die

One of the year’s hottest new engines almost never happened.

In early 2011, as Fiat was developing a strategy for Chrysler and deciding where to spend scarce product development funds, the 707-hp Hellcat Hemi V-8 debuting in the 2015 Dodge Challenger and Charger didn’t make the cut.

The project was shelved and engineers scattered to work on other projects, said Chris Cowland, Chrysler’s director of advanced and SRT powertrain.

Still, the idea for a new and superpowerful Hemi engine wouldn’t die among the SRT team, which continued to lobby for the engine. Four months later, Chrysler’s product development committee reversed its decision.

MDarringer - 11/8/2014 3:08:46 PM

+1 Boost

The Hellcat is brilliant marketing an beefs up sales of two cars on a truly terrible platform. A Challenger is a blast to drive in a straight line, but at the track it can be eaten alive by a live axle Mustang.

As good as the IRS Mustang is, the fact that the Shelby GT500 is not soon to come to market--if ever--given the next "Boss 302" will be marketed as the Shelby GT350 means Ford's thunder got stolen.