2013 SRT8 392 Hemi V8 (470 horsepower): Dodge SRT Challenger hemi may soon see a supercharged engine option on a variant of the engine pictured above.

Chrysler’s SRT division had previously rumored a high performance Dodge Challenger would be released in response to cars like Chevrolet’s Z/28 Camaro, the ZL1 Camaro, and Ford’s GT500 Mustang and the new “Hellcat” hemi may be part of that solution.

The supercharged 2015 Dodge SRT Challenger “Hellcat” V8 engine is expected to put out an easy 600 hp. Their new 5th generation naturally aspirated V10 SRT Viper is putting out 640 hp. The non-supercharged Camaro LS7 engine in the Z/28 puts out 500 hp but is lightweight and helps the vehicle handle like a race car. The supercharged ZL1 Camaro puts out 580 hp and handles very well with its advanced traction control systems. Then there is the supercharged Cadillac CTS-V that is putting out 550+ hp.  Last but not least, the 2013-2014 supercharged GT500 Shelby Mustang puts out over 660 hp and runs like a scalded dog basically out-muscling its way towards great performance numbers!

It is also likely we’ll see a version of the supercharged SRT hemi V8 offered in the Charger and 300 for the sports sedan segment as well. Lastly, there is the much-anticipated Barracuda that could benefit from a high output engine such as the supercharged hemi were it to be competitive in today’s sports car market.

The supercharged Challenger engine will likely be part of a 2015 package similar to the Dodge Challenger T/A’s of yesteryear.

It will be very interesting to learn about how SRT (Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology) will offset the extra couple-of-hundred pounds of front end weight that comes along with well designed supercharger packages in relationship to making traction on the street, strip and especially at the track. We’ll have a full report on the supercharged SRT Challenger’s weight & balance, traction, handling, and specs when they let this monster out of the cage. Two thumbs up to SRT for making the Challenger a contender in the American manufacturer’s muscle car revival!

Visit The Speed Wars website where we cover only the newest and highest performing sports cars & muscle cars.

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Orange 2014 Viper TA (Time Attack) street legal track car (1 of 33 cars)

View the Speed Wars Viper TA photo gallery

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Andretti’s Chevrolet Impala SS car #34 in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Read: What is the Daytona 500 Stock Car Race?

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Beyond The Checkered Flag video series by SRT: what it’s like losing races in the Viper

With SRT’s bad publicity on the new 2013 SRT Viper and their out of the limelight overall GT race positioning with the racing Viper we expect the “Beyond The Checkered Flag” SRT ALMS video series to be a compilation of excuses about why they are not winning races, or if they are uncharacteristically being good sports about it, on how to keep your spirits high when your best just isn’t quite good enough. Remember, SRT put an ungodly amount of resources into their new regular production 2013 Viper sports car refresh and the racing SRT Viper GTS-R program and their high hopes in ALMS GT racing (which +99% of their customers don’t give a crap about) to the great expense of their mainstream SRT production sports car line buyers in the general motoring public. SRT Motorsports hoped to duplicate a winning streak they had with the Viper of yesteryear but their new feverishness with the “SRT” branding frenzy is having negative effects across their product line.

Watch the Laguna Seca SRT Viper vs the retired ZR1 Corvette showdown

Unfortunately for SRT, in the American Le Mans Series GT race at the “Laguna Seca” Mazda Raceway in Monterey, CA last weekend (May 11, 2013), they got to relive losing to the Corvette as in their recent Road and Track street car showdown between their newly refreshed production 2013 SRT Viper racing counterpart and the retired C6 ZR1 Corvette. At this point, the ALMS race season is 25% finished and the SRT Motorsports team has only one 3rd place finish to show for their efforts, which (not so) coincidentally is about where they stand  in sports car sales among the big three in the United States.

Visit the official 2013 ALMS race schedule

Visit The Speed Wars site on High Performance Sports Cars!

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Official Nissan NISMO GT-R Press Introduction Photo

First of all, the Nissan GT-R is a brutal competitor in the modern sports car wars in any form, but NISMO is famous for taking things to unbelievable performance levels and they have a lot to live up to from their past successes. The new Nissan R35 NISMO GT-R is almost certainly going to be the new street legal track capable sports car that the other manufacturers will have at the top of their cars to beat wish list when the dust settles.

Nissan is keeping the details of the new NISMO GT-R to itself for now, except that it is, but let’s not forget the last 2004-2005 (or so) Nissan NISMO R34GT-R Z-tune Skyline! The historic NISMO Z-tune Skyline GT-R’s made it obvious what Nissan’s in house tuning and racing department (or NISMO) holds back in reserve for upping the performance ante on any platform they concentrate on. Also, NISMO’s craftsmanship on upper end vehicles is impeccable.

The Speed Wars will definitely have a full review of the new NISMO GT-R when it’s released from production. Nissan consistently makes the GT-R’s the most desirable and capable muscle-car, supercar, exotic-car, or whatever car class you care to consider it in within the world’s high-performance sports-car ranks.

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2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 gallery – go here

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Official Indianapolis Motor Speedway logo

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Nürburgring

Speed Wars article on the Nurburgring

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Indy 500 Pace Car

This is the 97th Indianapolis 500 race and the 12th time the Corvette has had the honor to serve as its Pace Car.

Read more about the 2014 C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on the Speed-Wars.

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View basic 2014 C7 Vette pricing here

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