Is the World Ready for a Dodge "Le Hellcat" for America IMSA racing?

July 21st, 2021 Chris Phillip
Is the World Ready for a Dodge "Le Hellcat" for America IMSA racing?
Dodge is chewing over an interesting idea from Peugeot - repurposing the Peugeot 9x8 hypercar with Dodge branding for America's IMSA series.

That news is from Autoblog.com- "Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group merged under the Stellantis umbrella in early 2021 to achieve economies of scale, and this benefit could surprisingly extend to racing. Executives are debating whether to give Dodge its own version of Peugeot's recently-unveiled 9x8 hypercar to race in America, according to a recent report."

"On the surface, this means Peugeot could enter its 9X8 (pictured) in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as soon as the 2023 season. While this is seemingly under consideration, Peugeot has little to gain from winning a major race in the United States. It hasn't sold cars here since 1991, and its long-mooted comeback was canned after PSA merged with FCA. Giving a variant of the 9X8 to Dodge is a more credible possibility, according to Racer."

"Power for the 9X8 comes from a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged, 2.6-liter V6 that sends 670 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed sequential transmission. The electric part of the system is a 268-horsepower motor that zaps the front wheels into motion by drawing electricity from a 900-volt battery pack. The combined output is restricted to 670 horsepower, so the electric motor can come into play anytime the engine isn't making peak horsepower, particularly at lower rpm."