ArcaMax

I have been waiting for you. It took 45 years, but the moment has finally arrived. A real muscle car is once again available. Scary. Dangerous - in the hands of a fool or a novice. A car that's got more engine than traction and you'd damned well better respect that. 707 supercharged horsepower through just two wheels (the rear wheels). Mid-high 11 second quarter-miles on tap. A Saturn V pointed horizontally - with air conditioning and license plates. Delicious sick madness. Dodge calls it the Hellcat - and it is a speed freak's wet dream.

But - if you have the means - you'd better get one while you still can. Before the insurance mafia realizes that horsepower has caught up with - and overwhelmed - tire technology. Just like back in the day, only at a much higher level of potential mayhem. It is inevitable that some termagant killjoy bureaucrat, politician - or "concerned mom" - asks why anyone needs a 707 hp 11 second/200 MPH car. Comparisons will be drawn between the Hellcat and "assault" rifles. You know the rest. Carpe diem. By the throat. And this car is just the ticket for doing that.

WHAT IT IS

Let's pull no punches. The Hellcat is the most powerful car Chrysler has ever sold. Period. That includes the current Viper - which offers a miserly 645 hp (from an 8.4 liter V10) as well as legends from the past like the '70 Charger Daytona/Superbird with the dual-quad (twin four-barrel carburetors) 426 Street Hemi V8.

There is nothing out there even in the same league. At least, nothing with four doors that doesn't cost six-figures.

Just $62,295 to start - which is reasonable given what you're getting. How much does a Nextel Cup car cost? But you will want to check with your insurance mafia representative before pulling the trigger as this thing is going to cost you unholy sums to cover.

Though surprisingly, not so much to feed. The Hellcat's gas mileage is not bad... for a Nextel Cup stocker with tags and AC.

Anyhow, this car is like the Liger - the one-off cross between a tiger and a lion (which is bigger than either). There is simply nothing else like it on the road. And nothing that can touch it. It's terrifyingly magnificent, truly awesome - like witnessing a thermonuclear burst from just a bit too close.

WHAT'S NEW

The Charger that (like Bruce Banner and the Hulk) that serves as the groundwork for the Hellcat has been significantly updated both cosmetically and functionally for the new model year. The Hellcat itself is new. The ultimate Charger.

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