Even the Dodge Charger Hellcat donor car gave it the dash.
The Dodge Dakota was the king of the midsize truck segment. There was virtually no competition. Today, Ford has the Ranger, Chevrolet has Colorado, but Dodge (and Ram!) fans are still in the dark. Imagine the Hellcat possibilities with a new Dakota.
This Holley Performance YouTube video will help you to do that. This is a 1999 Dodge Dakota R/T. It was an impressive street truck back then with its 5.9-liter V8 motor. The engine produced 250 horsepower, at a time when Detroit’s most powerful muscle cars had around 320. But times have changed . The truck is now equipped with a 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 supercharged engine borrowed from a Dodge Charger. There’s more.
You probably already know the details if you are a subscriber to the BoostedMotorsports YouTube channel. The eight-speed automatic transmission is also included in the Charger-to Dakota swap. Even the Charger’s dash can be used to give the truck a modern interior. This truck has an almost factory-like appearance. The Charger’s dash has enough space for wiring and electronics to keep its Hellcat V8 happy. The Hellcat’s many drive modes, the touchscreen at the center, and the paddle shifters at the steering wheel all work in the monster Dakota.
You may be wondering how fast this street-taxi is. We don’t have the answer yet as the Hellkota Dakota, also known as the Hellkota, is still in development. Although the video shows the truck in action, it doesn’t show any quarter-mile passes or dyno pulls. You can see that there is a lot of customization under the skin to fit the engine and transmission. The rear end has been redesigned and it is mentioned that the truck was first tuned before power mods were applied.
The age of Hellcats is likely to end with the aging of internal combustion engines. A factory Dakota Hellcat from RAM is unlikely to happen. So let’s enjoy these awesome builds while they last.