Horse carriages can turn to pumpkins when ‘last call’ is announced on a Friday night. That common phrase signals one party’s end and the hunt for another. Whether shouted by the bartender or said sarcastically by a badge in uniform, the phrase “last call” brings with it a certain amount of anxiety. The last grains of sand in the hourglass. The sudden urge to get that last drink, that specific phone number, or address to the afterparty. 

I’ve been feeling that pressure ever since Dodge announced its fleet of special edition Last Call Hemi V8s last year. Time was running out, and I needed to get behind the wheel of a supercharged Hemi before it reached the end of its production life. 

After much patience, I finally got my chance with a Smoke Show 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody. According to the fleet management company, I was the last automotive journalist in Texas to get the red key to this kitty. 

I needed an off-the-rack SRT Hellcat to truly appreciate the bold tire marks these cars have left on the motoring landscape since they first rolled onto the scene in 2015. 

The proof was in the car’s mileage, 14k, and counting. This car spent the last 12 months being tested by dozens of journalists and influencers looking to write their version of 717 horsepower. But I didn’t care about the wear and tear. I just wanted to drive one of the last standard SRT Hellcat Widebodys. 

The Last Call special editions are fantastic, but most are doomed to a low mileage future of being passed around the Bring a Barrett Jackson at Mecum car auction circuit. So, for historical reasons, I needed an off-the-rack SRT Hellcat to truly appreciate the bold tire marks these cars have left on the motoring landscape since they first rolled onto the scene in 2015. 

I didn’t want a greatest hits collector set. I wanted the live album. With the coveted red key in hand, I had one week to listen, record, and, more importantly, witness this moment in time that will never be replicated the same way ever again. 

The Dodge Hellcat Legacy 

Nearly a decade’s worth of time can make almost anything feel normal. If you went back ten years to 2013 and told people that they would soon be able to buy 707 horsepower right out of the box for under 100k, they’d probably laugh in your face and go back to eating their FroYo. 

Like chrome fins in the late 50s and the rising phoenix hood graphics of the late 70s, the snarling Hellcat emblem will be a symbol of the late 2010s, along with the invention of the word “selfie.” 

It wasn’t that long ago that gaining access to 700 horsepower required a Summit Racing catalog, the number to a skilled mechanic, and a five-point safety harness. Now, anyone with a Class C license can take the reins of 717 ponies and drop the kids off at school. Particular politics and bureaucracy may move with the urgency of a sloth, but there’s no denying human nature’s efficiency when it comes to our desire to go faster. The Dodge SRT Hellcat Widebody embodies that spirit in spades. 

Like chrome fins in the late 50s and the rising phoenix hood graphics of the late 70s, the snarling Hellcat emblem will be a symbol of the late 2010s, along with the invention of the word “selfie.” 

This article does not concern electric vehicles, climate change, or political interest. It merely wants to declare that in the same strides as the Ford Flathead V8 and Chevrolet’s 350 small block, the Dodge SRT Hellcat V8 is an iconic engine when it comes to giving the average consumer access to power not seen before their time. 

Over 700 Reasons to Respect the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody 

Hit the red ignition switch and be greeted by the intro of 6.2 liters turning air and gasoline into music. The supercharged Hemi idles like Keith Richards strumming a Fender Telecaster. Even with a red key, the car’s default eco/auto drive mode only gives you a taste of its potential with 500 horsepower. You’ll know you are driving in “eco” mode by a comically small green leaf icon in the corner of the dashboard. 

A Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody with an eco-mode is like putting a silencer on a bazooka. 

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Nevertheless, if the driver has no butt dyno or experience, they probably couldn’t tell that they’re missing out on 200 hp. You still hear the supercharger whine up if you feed it enough throttle, and the SRT Hellcat still pulls with conviction and aggression. The car’s default traction and stability control also allow a greater margin of error—the go-to drive mode for puttering around town and helping to ease the 13 mpg range anxiety. 

Press the SRT button on the center console, and you’ll gain access to the Hellcat’s armory. Sport and Track mode gives you the whole enchilada, which on a 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody is 717 hp and 656 lb.-ft of torque (Redeye variants get 797 hp and 707 lb.-ft). More importantly, the traction control goes on break, especially in Sport mode. That mode brings you the thrills, chills, and potential spills if not treated with the respect of a loaded gun with the safety off. 

A Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody with an eco-mode is like putting a silencer on a bazooka. 

A firm grip on the Alcantara leather-wrapped steering wheel is required. Kick the throttle, and you’ll experience a volcanic eruption under your seat as the supercharger force feeds air into the big V8 through its dual headlamp intakes. The rear tires can be quickly overwhelmed if you’re not careful. 

However, when in control, you’ll be shocked by how ferocious the Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody fights the laws of gravity to propel itself forward. It’s enough to make a priest blasphemy. 

High-voltage electric vehicles may shock drivers and occupants with muted instant torque, but they lack the drama of the supercharged Hemi. You need the sound and vibration to truly appreciate the sensation of speed, and the 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody never fails to put on a good show. It goes like a rocket and burns fuel like one too. 

A Test of Virtue 

Nineteenth-century English historian Lord Acton is known for writing the quote, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It’s a quote I believe in wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, one doesn’t have to look too far to find examples of someone abusing even the tiniest taste of power. 

Access to 717 worth of fuel-burning power at your fingertips will test your virtue. I had to ignore the little devil on my shoulder, constantly telling me to “go for it.”

Access to 717 worth of fuel-burning power at your fingertips will test your virtue. I had to ignore the little devil on my shoulder, constantly telling me to “go for it.” To stop myself from spinning the rear wheels and paint the pavement with Pirelli rubber. 

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It takes a certain amount of maturity and responsibility not to succumb to temptation as the 200-mph mark on the speedometer teases you. In one instance, I was overcome with a false sense of superiority that could rival most historical dictators while stuck in traffic in the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody. I felt insulted that I, with my supercharged chariot, should have to wait in the same lane as these bumper-to-bumper commoners. Thankfully, the consequences of such debauchery kept me, and the car, on the straight and narrow – most times.  

Talent in the Turns 

Spend enough time talking about the SRT Hellcat, and someone will ultimately voice their opinion about how these vehicles are “fat” and therefore “can’t handle.” Based on my experience testing these Hellcat Hemis at media track day events and on the street since 2016, I’m here to set the record straight. Anyone who says a Dodge SRT Hellcat doesn’t handle because they are too heavy is simply a terrible driver. The kind of driver who believes skill streaks on Forza Horizon translates to real world ability. 

Granted, the 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody is no featherweight, tipping the scales at over 4,500 pounds. But, the standard 305/35R 20 Pirelli P Zero tires do their job digging into the pavement when you throw the SRT Hellcat Widebody’s weight into a corner. 

If you expect a Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody to handle like a Miata, you will be disappointed. However, if you have a basic understanding of throttle control and weight transfer, you’ll find that the big bad Hemi can move as swiftly as Thor’s hammer. 

Never Say Goodbye 

Throughout 2022 Dodge unveiled six Last Call edition variants: the Challenger Shakedown, the Charger Super Bee, the Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, the Charger King Daytona, and the Challenger Black Ghost. In addition, Dodge recently announced that the lucky seventh Last Call edition would be unveiled on March 20th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

After that, the bouncer will escort the remaining Hemi V8s out of the assembly line and close the door. Some of us still have hope that the Hemi V8 will continue in a last-minute decision motivated by viral demand. 

Regardless of whether it truly is the end for the Hemi V8 (and the V8 in general), I will not be saying goodbye. I never will. Because plenty of them are still around, making noise, being heard, and will certainly not go quietly into the night. I want to personally thank Dodge, and Stellantis, for providing the opportunity to spend time with the 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody before it was too late. 

After that, the bouncer will escort the remaining Hemi V8s out of the assembly line and close the door.

I learned one important thing during my week with the Smoke Show gray muscle car. Whether you hate, love, respect, or mock these cars. It is impossible not to crack a smile when the RPMs roar past 4,000 and the supercharger rings in your ear as you get pushed back in your seat like the first drop at the start of a hair-raising rollercoaster ride. 

It’s pure fun. But, like most means of entertainment, it can be misused, abused, and potentially dangerous. However, at the end of the day, we need fun as a reminder not to take things too seriously. To stop and smell the roses before covering them in a fog of tire smoke in pursuit of the scenic route. 

Thanks for the ride, Hellcat. I’ll see you again for the next round.