DODGE CHALLENGER HELLCAT REDEYE MUSCLE CARS CAN NOW HIT 885 HP VIA ‘DIRECT CONNECTION’

If you’re under the age of 40, or you’re not by any means a drag racing buff, the name “Direct Connection” very likely won’t mean much to you. Launched in the 1970s, Direct Connection was the Chrysler Corporation’s brand name for all manner of factory-developed performance and customization parts for Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth vehicles. The brand survived until 1987, at which point it was renamed “Mopar Performance Parts.”

Now, Direct Connection is back, and it’s exploding out of the gate with a whole litany of show-stopping factory-backed performance parts designed to shave precious time off your Dodge Challenger’s quarter-mile ET. The parts will be available for ordering late in Q1 2022, around the same time that the Dodge Power Brokers dealer network – Dodge’s exclusive source for Direct Connection performance parts – starts operation. And it will begin by tuning Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, Hellcat Redeye, and Mopar Drag Pak muscle cars.

“Direct Connection will continue its rollout next year with a lineup of 200-plus parts, and with a network of Dodge Power Brokers dealers trained and equipped to help enthusiasts take that performance to the next level,” says Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis. “The opening of orders for Direct Connection performance parts in the first quarter of 2022 is just the start — the lineup of Direct Connection products and Dodge Power Brokers dealers will continue to grow in the years ahead.”

Dodge Direct Connection Performance Parts

Among the many parts announced are Stage I and Stage II Kits for the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which take the street-legal drag racer from 797 horsepower up to 840 or 885 horsepower, respectively, when in high-octane mode. There’s also a Stage I Kit for the “regular” SRT Hellcat that unleashes a respectable 757 horsepower on high-octane. None of these kits require any changes to engine internals or anything overly burdensome like that – just basics, like an OBD-II tune, a performance air filter, low-temp thermostat, and 3.17-inch “Hellephant” engine pulley.

An 885 horsepower muscle car that runs on pump gas, tuned by your dealer, backed by a warranty. This is not a dream.

“Regular” Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owners will also have the option to swap in plenty of parts unique to the more potent SRT Hellcat Redeye. A pair of Redeye cylinder heads, for example, allows the standard Hellcat motor to rev to 6,500 rpm, up from 6,200. A Redeye High-Flow Air Box reduces restriction at the intake and lets the Hellcat motor breathe more freely. Redeye half-shaft, driveshaft, and torque converter kits all improve the robustness of the factory SRT Hellcat drivetrain, and a Redeye Differential Assembly offers a more aggressive final drive ratio than the factory 2.62:1 diff.

Even Dodge’s factory turn-key drag car, the Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak, is getting some Direct Connection performance parts love. Parts for that car include a Supercharged 354 Hemi V8 engine, approved for NHRA Factory Stock competition, and a full 7.50 Body Kit, which includes an SFI 25.5C roll cage certified for 7.5-second ETs at the drag strip.

Best of all, every Direct Connection part purchased from and installed by a certified Dodge Power Brokers dealership is covered under a 24-month/unlimited miles warranty. That’s the advantage of factory-backed performance parts, and it might be enough to make you think twice about taking your Challenger to that dinky tuning shop across town.