jct
Senior Member
SPIED: A Chrysler 300 Hellcat with Demon Drag Radials!
The SRT-fettled version of the Chrysler 300 was killed for the U.S. market after the 2014 model year, although it lived on in the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. But as of late, with the release of Dodge’s Hellcat Challenger and Charger, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, and the Dodge Demon, big power has been a top priority at Fiat Chrysler. That’s what makes this 300 SRT mule with Demon wheels and tires so intriguing.
The test vehicle, spotted chillin’ in the open at a random apartment or condo complex, was wearing Nitto NT05R P315/40R-18 drag-radial rubber wrapped around the same type of wheels seen on Dodge Demon mules. The massive tires stuck out of the 300’s stock bodywork (like on the Demon mules), leading us to believe that this car could also receive wider fender flares like the Demon’s. Though the mule does have Brembo calipers providing the stopping power, the brake rotors appear to be smaller than those found on Hellcats and the Demon, and they have a different slot pattern as well.
According to our photographer, who followed the car for about 20 miles, the mule made Hellcat noises, sounds you’re likely familiar with if you’ve heard one in person. This, despite the fact that there are no noticeable scoops or intakes for extra cooling, which would hint at the presence of the monster engine. At minimum, this car could mean that Chrysler is gearing up to refresh the 300 SRT for the overseas markets where it’s still sold, bringing online a wide-bodied, 707-hp, Hellcat-powered version of the big sedan. (We nominate the name Chrysler 300 Visigoth.)
It goes without saying that we’d love to see this car represent the return of an SRT 300 to American shores, but that’s unlikely to happen. It could also just be an engineering mule never destined for production. But since we’ve already seen FCA create concepts for Ram and Jeep with the Hellcat engine—to say nothing of the production vehicles featuring the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8—we’re not ready to write off this mule just yet.
