Will there be a 2023 Hellcat redeye?

Sep 21, 2022 at 1:29pm ET

Back in the 1970s, there was a black 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 426 Hemi V8 that cruised Detroit's Woodward Avenue. It would show up at random and then disappear for months, allegedly putting the hurt to competitors in stoplight battles on the infamous stretch of road. It was called the Black Ghost, and it rides one more time as the sixth Last Call special edition model from Dodge.

This is the 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost, and as with the Dodge Charger King Daytona that debuted on September 14, this isn't a Scat Pack with an appearance package. The Challenger Hellcat Redeye Widebody is the foundation, but Dodge bumps the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 to 807 horsepower. In the current Challenger hierarchy, it's equal to the SRT Super Stock that debuted in 2020, and it will be nearly as rare. 300 Black Ghosts are slated for production, and as the name suggests, it's only available in black.

Gallery: 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost

In addition to more power, there are some special exterior upgrades that pay homage to the original Challenger. Gator skin vinyl graphics are applied to the roof, with contrasting white stripes added to the quarter panels. Retro badging is in effect, with scripted Challenger badges on the fenders and chrome Dodge branding on the nose. The SRT badge in the grille has a bright finish, as do the 20-inch wheels. Inside there's a special Black Ghost badge for the instrument panel, with bezels made of carbon fiber. Alcantara on the seats, door bolsters, and steering wheel further dress up the interior.

"There are so many legendary muscle cars in Dodge brand history, it was hard to choose the seven vehicles we wanted to pay homage to with our Last Call lineup, but the Black Ghost was an easy pick," said Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis. "The 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost is the prelude to what we’re going to unveil with our seventh and final special-edition model."

Dodge kicked off its seven Last Call announcements in late August with the Challenger Shakedown. The Dodge Charger Super Bee followed, with both the Charger and Challenger getting a Swinger package. We already mentioned the Charger King Daytona, but the seventh and final model won't debut until the 2022 SEMA Show in November. Given the extra pomp and circumstance for this special model, it's quite possible we could see a 900-hp Challenger tuned to run on E85 as the final high-horsepower Hemi before electrification takes over.

Get more Hemi content and news on recent vehicle debuts in the Rambling About Cars podcast, available below.

Source: Dodge

Last week, word began to spread that Dodge//SRT was cooking up a Hellcat capable of running on E85 fuel for its final swan song before the next-gen muscle cars take over. Whether the E85 Hellcat tune will come with its own Engine Control Unit (ECU) or will be a Flex Fuel tune that automatically adjusts based on the vehicle’s fuel type is unknown.

Now, a new rumor has expanded upon this magnum opus of a mopar is that Dodge’s upcoming E85 Hellcat may be capable of boasting over 900 horsepower.

RELATED: Dodge//SRT May Develop Hellcat Engines That Run on E85

When Dodge first debuted the Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat in 2015, it was already getting everyone’s attention after pushing 707 horsepower. Dodge did it again in 2018 when the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon raised the bar to 808 horsepower on pump gas. Give it some 100+ octane race gas and you’ll be seeing numbers as high as 840 horsepower.

Of course, we will not know this for sure until August 2022 at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit where the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is expected to be revealed.

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