Skip to main content

SpeedKore’s Mid-Engine 1968 Dodge Charger is a Replica From ‘F9’

SpeedKore 1968 Dodge Charger

The Fast and the Furious franchise may not be Oscar-winning material, but there’s no denying that the cars in the movies are special. The franchise, which is now in its ninth installment, is known for having some epic hero cars. Even if you’re not a fan of the franchise, you know that Dominic Toretto, the muscle-bound character played by Vin Diesel, loves muscle cars nearly as much as he loves his movie family. Unsurprisingly, Toretto will be piloting a 1968 Dodge Charger in the latest F9 film and SpeedKore has come out with a real-life, fully functional example of the vehicle that you’ll see in the movie.

In F9, Toretto will be driving a mid-engine ’68 Charger. While Fast and the Furious has made some crazy cars before, like a jet-powered Charger in Fast 8, the mid-engine muscle car is even crazier because it’s real. According to Dennis McCarthy, Universal’s picture car coordinator, who spoke with MotorTrend, the film company actually built nine ’68 Charger models for the movie. The real ones that are used in close-up shots are packing a Hellcat engine that’s been tuned to make the same amount of power as the Demon and come with a manual transmission from a Lamborghini Gallardo. It’s a sweet, sweet combination.

Related Guides

Movie cars, though, are movie cars for a reason. They’re so farfetched that making them functional and road legal would be impossible. Right? Thankfully, SpeedKore is here to prove everyone wrong with its “Hellacious” ’68 Dodge Charger. It’s a fully functional version of the Charger that Toretto drives in F9.

Known as “Hellacious,” this classic has to be one of the more extreme builds from SpeedKore. While a mid-engine Charger would be enough pizzaz for the majority of people, SpeedKore fitted the classic muscle car with a widebody kit, probably to better accommodate the Hellcat V8 in the middle of the body. A massive glass rear window gives strangers the ability to get intimate with the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that makes 707 horsepower. That sweet V8 engine being nestled smack dab in the middle of the carbon-fiber body is better than art.

SpeedKore 1968 Dodge Charger

A mid-engine Charger sounds special, but SpeedKore’s Hellacious is a unicorn because of its six-speed manual Graziano transaxle that’s been sourced from a Lamborghini Gallardo. The manual gearbox helps route power to the Charger’s rear wheels, while drivers get to interact with a gorgeous gated shifter. For anyone that wants to pulls off large drifts, there’s a trick hydraulic hand brake to do your best F9 impression.

The rest of the interior is more about what’s not there compared to what is. Period correct gauges, simple bucket seats, a body-integrated roll hoop, a rear firewall, and a plain steering wheel help the Hellacious showcase its true intentions of being an over-the-top one-off.

Whether you’re a fan of The Fast and the Furious franchise or not, there’s no denying that a mid-engine ’68 Charger with a manual gearbox is magnificent. SpeedKore hasn’t said anything about selling the car, but we’re sure someone would pay a pretty penny to have something as special as the Hellacious. The fact that the car is a replica from F9 puts it over the top.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joel Patel
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joel Patel is a Northern Virginia native that became enamored with cars at a young age when he was tasked with holding the…
This near-perfect replica of the ‘Back to the Future’ DeLorean could be yours
1981 DeLorean replica rebuilt for one lucky 'Back to the Future' auto enthusiast
1981 delorean replica for auction

 

In 1975, the DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) was founded by automaking legend John DeLorean. Although this brand never produced many cars during its short and tumultuous history, it is well remembered for manufacturing the beautiful gull-winged stainless steel 1981 DeLorean DMC12. 

Read more
Why GM is killing a popular (and affordable) EV
GM has big plans for EVs — just not the Chevy Bolt
2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV parked outside a home.

When the Chevy Bolt EV was released in 2017, we took it on a test drive and it exceeded our expectations. Since then, the Chevy Bolt went on to become General Motors’ best-selling EV. According to Kelly Blue Book, GM overtook Ford to become the second best-selling EV brand after Tesla due to the Chevy Bolt’s high demand. Besides that, the Chevy Bolt is one of the most affordable electric cars on the market today.

But despite its success, GM is surprisingly pulling the plug on the Chevy Bolt. “It's now time to plan to end the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV production, which will happen at the very end of the year,” Mary Barra, the CEO of GM, announced the plan during the company’s Q1 earnings call. Why is GM dumping its most popular EV? Well, it has to do with profits.
GM is selling the Chevy Bolt at a loss
When the Chevy Bolt was released in 2017, UBS reported that GM was losing $7,400 for every unit that was sold. As per the report, GM was making a loss because it hadn’t yet ramped up the production of the Chevy Bolt to reduce the cost. Of course, GM was also willing to lose money to make the Chevy Bolt one of the cheapest EVs on the market.

Read more
Pitch up in the best motorcycle tents for camping with your two-wheeler
There's nothing like cruising a backcountry road at sunset, wind in your hair, George Thorogood in your ear, and a few bugs in your teeth.
Wingman-of-the-Road Goose Motorcycle Camping System lake feature

After a few long years of pandemic-fueled "lockup," more and more of us are finally getting back to road-tripping. For some, that means camping across the country in an RV; for others, adventure awaits on the back of a two-wheeler (be it pedal or gas-powered). If you fall into the latter camp, we get it. There's nothing like the excitement of cruising down some backcountry road at sunset with the wind in your hair, George Thorogood in your ear, and a few bugs in your teeth.

If you're planning an extended trip, then you'll be looking to overnight along the way. If an ordinary roadside motel just won’t do, maybe you need a more adventurous alternative. Here are our picks for the best motorcycle tents for camping with your two-wheeler along the way in 2023.
Lone Rider MotoTent V2
Best motorcycle tent overall

Read more