2014 Dodge Durango Limited on 2040-cars

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Dodge Hellcat Widebody delivers Christmas tree at 174 mph

The holidays are here, and so last-minute shoppers are going to be in a serious rush to get all the items they need, especially Christmas shoppers that haven't even put up a tree yet. Those seriously late folks may want to invest in a Challenger Hellcat because apparently they can go an incredible 174 mph with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof. This was discovered by the folks at Hennessey. They got a Hellcat Widebody from Dodge for the little experiment, along with a suction cup mount roof rack from SeaSucker and a real Christmas tree from Lowe's. Then it was off to the Continental Tire test track in Texas to see how fast it could go, which, as mentioned was 174 mph. As you'll see in the video, it takes quite a bit of road to move up from 170 to 174 mph. It's impressive that the tree and roof rack don't seem to budge. And it's all capped off with a huge smokey burnout to the sound of V8 rumble and supercharger whine. It's a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. And we'll look forward to next year when maybe Dodge will give Hennessey a Demon to try out. Related Video:

Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango to lose color options temporarily

In the market for a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Dodge Durango? Well, if you fancy a more expressive color for your new SUV, you'd better get your order in, or plan on waiting until well into 2015.
The SUVs will be limited to just four monochromatic shades - black, white, silver and gray - until at least February, thanks to an upgrade to the paint shop at the two vehicles' Jefferson North factory. For the Grand Cherokee, that means it's losing more than half its color palette while the Durango is dropping two-thirds of its color catalog.
The loss of colors is inconvenient, but the upgrade will have a slightly bigger effect on the overall supply of SUVs, as Chrysler will need to end its relentless build pace at the factory for a three-week shutdown starting on December 22. The good news for fans of the SUVs is that once the work is completed, we should see a gradual expansion of the color palettes for both the Durango and Grand Cherokee, beyond even what's offered now.

Armormax loads a bulletproof Dodge Hellcat AWD Police Special

Earlier, we wrote about the Armormax armored Tesla Model S P100D, which International Armoring Corporation called the fastest armored car in the world. As the company also outfits cars such as Dodge Chargers, it's only logical that the showcase car is a SRT Hellcat — but the interesting thing is that the company can also upgrade the Hellcat to all-wheel drive, as Armormax told Motor Authority. When ordering an armored Charger SRT Hellcat, the AWD implementation is just a matter of ticking the corresponding box. The Armormax Charger SRT Hellcat seen here is also outfitted with police patrol car gear, complete with a push bar, run-flat tires, ballistic bulletproof glass and a mean matte black wrap. Even if the 6.2-liter, supercharged Hellcat powertrain probably has no problem hauling an armored bodyshell around, it's likely that the company has used the same synthetic fiber laminate on the Charger as on the Tesla. The bulletproof Tesla's weight gain was a negligible 11 percent, and while the Charger is a lighter car to begin with, avoiding using regular-issue ballistic steel seems to be the way to go if you want to keep the curb weight in check. The Hellcat's battery, radiator, fuel tank and ECU also get their share of protective covering, so that the vehicle is harder to disable. Paneling is available in ballistic protection levels ranging from B4 (can withstand a .30-caliber lead-core softpoint bullet) to B7 (can withstand a 9mm full-copper jacket). And while pricing isn't announced, it is likely to depend on how much protection is applied on the Hellcat and whether all four wheels are powered. A stock one is priced at $65,345. Related Video: