Is This the World’s First 8-Second Hellcat Durango?
With the news of Dodge debuting the Challenger SRT Demon 170 less than a week ago, talk among enthusiasts is the availability of a factory vehicle advertised as an 8-second / 150-plus mph capable ride with the right driver and track conditions.
This latest supercharged Dodge can trace its roots back to the standard Hellcat, first available from Dodge in 2015 in the Challenger and Charger models, packing over 700 horsepower.
Enthusiasts have been pushing the factory power numbers up and the track times down over the last eight years, and although the Challenger and Charger get the lion’s share of the headlines, now a Durango is joining the record-setting ranks.
The Durango was available from Dodge with the Hellcat driveline only in the 2021 model year originally, and around 3,000 of them were built with the 710 horsepower driveline, advertised as the quickest SUV in the world.
This article is brought to you ad-free by Sick The Magazine’s print subscribers. Do your part to support quality automotive journalism and the future of print media by subscribing to our awesome 200-page print book today!
One of those Durganos belongs to Tina Boggess, who ordered the performance model new. “I am a mom of 4, so I have had several Durango models in the past,” said Tina. “I still have a 392 SRT Durango that I drive daily as well, so of course I had to have the Hellcat version.”
Scott Boegler, owner of American Muscle Performance, made some mild changes to Tina’s Durango, including a set of different pullies to increase boost, a 108-millimeter throttle body and JLT cold air intake, plus a set of Fuel Injector Clinic 1200 fuel injectors and a JMS Boost-A-Pump to feed the VP Racing X98 racing fuel to the thirsty Gen-III HEMI.
These changes helped get the Durango into the 9-second range, the first one to do so, back in August 2021.
Since that time, Tina and Scott have continued to work on the performance of the Durango, getting the 5,600-pound SUV to a best of 9.07 at 156 mph during the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Dodge / Mopar HEMI Shootout at Orlando Speed World Dragway in mid-March, picking up the runner-up spot in the class. One week later at Kentucky Dragway, Tina became the first Hellcat Durango into the 8-second zone with an 8.87 at 157 mph pass.
To accomplish this task, Scott and Tina had a stock displacement engine built by Demon Performance and TKM with stronger connecting rods and pistons, along with a camshaft swap.
Ported cylinder heads and a ported 2.7-liter blower complete the induction, and built overdrive transmission and transfer case, plus G-Force axles and Mickey Thompson tires get the power to the ground.
“My fastest boost only pass has been 9.52,” said Tina, who admitted adding nitrous to the mix was the final step in getting the Durango its 8-second time slip.
“It has been a LOT of fun,” Tina continued. “It is a mom car with my 14 year old twins as my pit crew, and I still drive it on the street, take them to school, grocery store, etc.” She hopes to eventually tackle a drag-and-drive event as well, with both Sick Week and Hot Rod Drag Week on her radar.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Tina Boggess.