Dodge has finally redeemed itself for the electric travesty it thrust upon the world in 2023, sort of. The 2026 Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak brings a proper supercharged HEMI V8 back to the nameplate, but there’s a catch; you can’t drive it on the road, let alone in Australia.
Built purely for NHRA drag racing, the Drag Pak features a 5.8-litre (354ci) Gen III HEMI with forged internals and a Whipple 3.0-litre supercharger.
Power figures haven’t been disclosed yet, but the combination should comfortably deliver four-digit horsepower (at least 746kW). It’s paired with a three-speed automatic, 9.0-inch rear axle, and 4.30:1 gearing – all good for sub-8.0-second quarter miles.
The car rides on a purpose-built chassis and safety cage rather than the road-going Charger’s platform. Dodge will build only 50 units, all destined for US drag strips. It’s not street-legal, not homologated for ADR compliance, and won’t be seen at your local Cars and Coffee anytime soon.
The choice of a V8 is salient as Dodge sells a sub-1000hp inline-six called the HurriCrate Cat X, but elected to keep that on the shelf.
After Dodge’s transition to electrified powertrains in the new Charger Daytona EV and Sixpack inline-six models, the reappearance of a V8 feels like foreshadowing of the V8 production model – widely tipped to be called Cuda.
Right now Stellantis does not offer a V8 engine for any model based on the new STLA Large platform, but the company has confirmed there is a V8 coming and it will be built on this platform – likely including a new Dodge Durango SRT.
For Australians raised on the burble of V8 Falcons and Commodores, it’s a bit of a kick in the guts, as their legislative climate allows this sort of resurgence of cool cars, while ours (NVES) makes it more difficult – despite no local manufacturing sector.
