You can get your hands on a manual Hellcat, again.
Recently, it has become a widely accepted idea in the car community that the Challenger, one of Dodge's greatest muscle cars, may be on their way out the door. It’s nothing new of course, seeing as how these cars have been discontinued and revived in the past. However it is particularly saddening when you consider that the Hellcat lineup might see this production entirely. Although, not all of it has to be doom and gloom as Dodge is releasing some new cool features for the 2023 lineup to commemorate the Challengers and all of their glory one last time.
See Don Garlits' Mopar collection here.
One search feature is the rear edition of a manual transmission. In 2018, Dodge reported that about 35% of Hellcats sold were in the manual configuration. However, they were discontinued for 2022 because of some needed engineering recap calibration. Finally, the Challenger Hellcat will be getting the six speed Tremec manual transmission we all know and love, which is more than enough for most enthusiasts to smile a bit rather than frown at the idea of their beloved muscle cars being out of production.
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, the 2023 models will also come with a commemorative plaque under the hood. They may also show some extra features for the top models and little commemorative easter eggs, something the Mopar brand is pretty well-known for these days. Overall, these small additions will serve as a reminder of everything that made the Dodge brand great between the early 2000s in 2022. The cars themselves will likely also skyrocket in value shortly after the production has ended on charges and Challengers altogether. All in all, looking back at Dodge’s history it’s easy to see that cars come and go and that we may even see a new generation Challenger sometime in the future, let’s just hope Dodge doesn’t kill off the remaining interest from its consumer base before then.
