2014 Dodge Durango Limited on 2040-cars

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Dodge Durango poised for SRT's devilish power-up

Does the world need a 707-horsepower Dodge Durango Hellcat? It looks like it's a possibility, according to recent spy shots of a suspicious test mule. But it could also be a Durango powered up with the FCA US 6.4-liter V8 that makes 475 hp. Spy shooters report that the mule captured here sounds like the Hellcat-powered Dodge Chargers and Challengers. Hidden design cues like the fascia suggest this Durango has truly devilish power. There's also a bulging hood with an air intake under the camouflage. So it could be a Durango Hellcat. It's also possible Dodge is dropping the 6.4-liter V8 used in the Grand Cherokee SRT under the hood of the Durango. Engine sharing makes sense, since both FCA SUVs are based on the same platform and built at the same factory in Michigan, though the Durango is longer to accommodate a third row. It is also more logical Dodge would add the 475-hp mill to the Durango's lineup first before going all the way to the 6.2-liter 707-hp Hellcat engine. The most powerful current Durango has a 360-hp 5.7-liter Hemi V8. We expect the Durango will get a refresh for 2018. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Dodge Durango SRT Spy Photos View 16 Photos Spy Photos Dodge SUV Performance

Junkyard Gem: 1990 Dodge Daytona Shelby

Once Lee Iacocca took the helm at Chrysler and shifted nearly all car models to front-wheel-drive platforms — either members of the convoluted K family or descendants of the Simca-derived Omnirizon platform — he called up his pal Carroll Shelby and made a deal to help with the design of some Shelby-ized, turbocharged Dodges. This relationship resulted in the Shelby Charger starting in 1983 and the Omni GLH in 1984. For 1987, the K-based Dodge Shadow and Daytona got the Shelby treatment, and suddenly the roads of North America were awash in Shelby-badged turbocharged machinery. Most are long gone by now, but I managed to unearth this tattered and rusty '90 Shelby Daytona at a Denver yard. The Shelby Daytona stayed in production through the 1991 model year (when the car got both Shelby and IROC badging, and does anybody remember the IROC Daytona today?), but most of the examples I've found during my wrecking-yard explorations have been earlier models. You won't find many '90 or '91 Daytona Shelbys. Some junkyard shopper pulled the cylinder head and all the turbo-related goodness before I reached this car. That makes sense, because the 1990 Daytona Shelby's turbocharged 2.2-liter engine made 174 horsepower— way more than most previous turbo Chryslers. Maybe someone hot-rodded their Plymouth Caravelle with those parts. This car has the five-speed manual transmission, as it should. Note the New Car Scent Little Tree, which is the second-most common junkyard-found air freshener (after Black Ice). It's not hard to identify the main reason this car got discarded: catastrophic (by Colorado standards) body rot. 171,349 miles is pretty decent for a nervous turbocharged car from 30 years ago. I don't see many Colorado junkyard cars with brewery and/or skiing-related stickers that don't also have stickers from cannabis dispensaries, but here's one. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Pretty much just as good as the Porsche 911 Turbo, and $70,000 cheaper! Featured Gallery Junked 1990 Dodge Daytona Shelby View 21 Photos Auto News Dodge Automotive History Coupe Carroll Shelby shelby Junkyard Gems

2 men die in Dodge Challenger Hellcat crash at Colorado airport

Two friends died in the crash of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat over the weekend after they shot off the end of an airport runway, authorities said. That someone died in a 707-horsepower Hellcat is, sadly, not unexpected. But two aspects of the story are remarkable. First, the men's ages: The Denver Post reports the crash victims were Lynd Fitzgerald, 71, of Colorado Springs, and his passenger, Roger Lichtenberger, 76, of San Marcos, Calif. Second, their speed: The car was likely moving at over 100 miles per hour, authorities said. The men had permission to use the 8,300-foot runway at Central Colorado Regional Airport in Buena Vista. That's more than a mile and a half long. But when the car left the runway, it went 300 feet before flying over a ravine, hitting the ground, becoming airborne again, flipping end over end across a second ravine, and ultimately landing on its wheels 650 feet past the end of the pavement. Responding police officers tried to provide first aid, but the men were declared dead at the scene. "They were just test-driving this car. They went a little too fast. I don't want to surmise. ... They probably got to the end of the runway and, at that speed, didn't realize they were there so fast. And they lost control. It was just too high a speed and they got to the end of the runway," said Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze. There were skid marks near the end of the runway, but the sheriff didn't know the length. "I've never seen anything like it," Spezze told the newspaper. "They had permission to be there. There were no laws broken." Related Video: