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SpeedKore loves their Chargers, and Hellucination is a 1000-horsepower restomod based on the 1968 Dodge Charger.
They say money spent on a good custom job made to your taste, is money well spent. Today, you can buy a car and head to one of the many custom shops around the states specializing in muscle cars, hot rods, Japanese imports, or just about anything. All you need is a dream and deep pockets, and you can turn an outdated or boring car into a performance car you love driving and looking at.
Car customization companies come in all sizes, from Richard Rawlings' Gas Monkey Garage to less-known builders. In the high-end spectrum resides another respected American performance company going by SpeedKore.
SpeedKore produces high-quality carbon fiber upgrades that perform better than the OEM parts, and they have been behind some cool projects, including the 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302, which won the 2019 Grand National Roadster Show. Also, they made the black 1970 Dodge Charger "Tantrum" that earned special recognition at SEMA Show 2017 and was driven by Dominic Toretto in The Fast and Furious nine movie. Clearly, SpeedKore loves their Chargers, and Hellucination is a 1000-horsepower restomod based on the 1968 DodgeCharger. Here's everything we just learned about the car.
Gearheads recently received news that Dodge would be discontinuing the Charger, a muscle car that has remained a household name since the 60s. Few classic cars can hold a candle to the 1968 Dodge Charger, a car that put other muscle cars of the era to shame. It was the first Charger to feature the stunning Coke Bottle styling, a curvier front fender, and the rear quarter panel.
Now SpeedKore chose this car as their platform for the Hellucination project, and although it has a different powertrain and custom frame, it looks strikingly similar to the donor car.
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The Hellucination is the brainchild of Ralph Gilles, head designer for Stellantis North America, one of the big-three automotive giants in America, and the umbrella brand housing major brands like Dodge, Ram, and Chrysler. He brought his experience from building iconic cars of the past few decades and, with the folks over at SpeedKore, built one of the best restomods on the car scene.
SpeedKore pride some reputable muscle car builds like the 1970 Dodge Charger "Evolution," 1070 Plymouth Barracuda "Menace," and 1970 Dodge Charger "Tantrum' 1970 Dodge Charger "Hellraiser," and Hellucination is the newest masterpiece in their lineup.
Dodge first announced the Hellephant V8 crate engine at SEMA in 2018 and got the car scene talking. This was the first engine offering from a manufacturer capable of producing 1000 hp and 950 lb-ft of torque without requiring race fuel. The 7.0-liter aluminum alloy block Mopar comes with a mammoth 3-liter supercharger sending 15 lbs of boost to the intake.
SpeedKore adds a few mods, including custom-made headers and an exhaust featuring MagnaFlow mufflers. Power is sent to the rear wheels via ZF 8-speed transmission.
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SpeedKore gave Hellucination a custom perimeter frame reinforcement that gave it a wider stance than the original. While the company is an expert in carbon fiber, this car is their first one built with a full carbon fiber floor pan and wheels tub.
The entire body is also made from carbon fiber which sheds significant weight and makes the car more potent. It is estimated to weigh about 3600 lbs, which is light considering the car's proportions and the mass of the Mopar engine. It is then finished with a clear black coat that shows off the material's texture, with no paint job done.
Hellucination gets a bespoke front-hinged hood clad in carbon fiber, and it is one of the stand-out features of the car that remains largely stock on the outside. In addition, it gets a front chin spoiler, tightened-up bumpers, and has turn signals sneakily hidden in the extremes of the grille.
SpeedKore also replaced the original lamps with custom Dapper lighting LED in the hidden headlights. It is a classic nod, and they are some of the coolest you will find on any car. Similar LED illuminate the taillights.
HRE makes some of the coolest custom forged wheels for high-performance cars, and they have built bespoke wheels for the Hellucination. They come in at 19 inches at the front and 20 inches at the rear. They are clothed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, with massive 345-sections at the rear helping put the power on the asphalt.
The suspension is also custom, with parts sourced from different vendors. The front axle features Detroit Speed's double wishbones, and the rear comes with an in-house-built custom four-link solid-axle. The dual-adjustable coil-overs are from Penske, and Detroit Speed provides the front and rear sway bars.
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The extreme weight shaving, thanks to the heavy carbon fiber presence, didn't stop SpeedKore from going big on the brakes. After all, 1000 ponies require plenty of slowing down. On the front wheels, there are six-piston Brembo brake caliper and four-piston Brembos doing the brunt of the stopping work.
These are modern and advanced technologies that the original car could only have dreamed of. Also, if you are lucky enough to drive behind the Hellucination, you will revel in the custom LED Charger taillight every time the car slows down.
On the inside, much of the original composition has been stripped away and replaced with a modern theme in grey and orange accent stitching. The seating was reduced from the original five seats to a two-seater design featuring seats by Gabe's Custom Interior. Also, a new roll cage connects to the perimeter reinforcements on the frame.
There is more carbon fiber in the cabin, which is visible on the dashboard, door panels, rear quarter panels, and the backs of the seats. Instrumentation includes a large tachometer and speedometer. There is a 2,000-watt six-speaker Kicker audio system to keep you entertained while your hands tame the beast with the three-spoke steering wheel.
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The Hellucination project began in 2019, and Jim Kacmarci, PeedKore's owner, claims the car is their most extreme build yet. It has fused the best of modern auto tech with the spirit of the legendary Charger. The result is a car that is more than a trophy to hide away in a climate-controlled garage.
Despite the scary performance, Hellucination is a genuine driver's car, and Ralph Gilles and Josh Welton went on a 1400-mile journey from Michigan to the Smokey Mountains. While it will eat up many rivals at the drag strip, the road trip proved that the Stellantis boss would also enjoy driving the car on public roads.
Bryan is a content marketer who works as a staff writer for HotCars.com where he covers a variety of topics, from the first Motorwagen to the latest Electric vehicles. A writer by day and a programmer by night. When he is not writing about cars, catch him tinkering with his old motorcycle.