SpeedKore takes mid-engine Charger from ‘F9’ movie screen to the road

Movie magic is nice, but the car community prefers real magic in 3 dimensions of steel, rubber and soul. Thus the creation of “Hellacious,” a road-going version of the mid-engine Dodge Charger seen in F9, the newest installment of the Fast & Furious film series.

The car is the first mid-engine project for SpeedKore, which is based in Grafton, Wisconsin. The shop has worked as a custom-car builder for the franchise since 2015 when it did the 1970 Dodge Charger “Tantrum” for Furious 7.

Of the new “Hellacious,” SpeedKore head Jim Kacmarcik said it is “one of our most extreme builds to date. After commissioning renowned designer Sean Smith to design the car and working with F9’s picture vehicle coordinator Dennis McCarthy to build the nine chassis and vehicle bodies for the film, we wanted to bring the movie magic of F9 to life. 

“ ‘Hellacious’ is a road-going version of the movie car with the functionality of a purpose-built performance car. We couldn’t be more excited to debut ‘Hellacious’ alongside the actual film as yet another unique representation of our design and engineering capabilities as a custom car builder.”

“Hellacious” is powered by a 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 mounted between the rear axles in a custom SpeedKore-engineered frame. Its power goes to the rear wheels through a gated-manual Graziano transaxle from the Lamborghini Gallardo.  

The body is carbon fiber but with a wide-body design by Sean Smith Designs. 

“To balance the extensive body modifications, SpeedKore included some subtle details as well,” according to the company’s news release. “The vertical-slat grille uses factory 1968 Charger hideaway headlights and is finished with metal brightwork, complimenting the brushed steel front and rear bumpers.

“Shaved rain gutters and flush-mounted glass present a seamless side profile while a rear fascia with round quad taillights and a bronze stripe keyed to the color of the wheels finish the look.”