Since Dodge raised its unholy 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 from the depths of hell in 2015, it’s become the 707-horsepower engine swap of choice for all kinds of vehicles. When it was offered as basically a plug-and-play crate engine package in 2017, Hellcat swaps went to the next level. We’ve already seen a few Gladiator Hellcat swaps performed by aftermarket companies, but this silver Gladiator Rubicon at Mark Mitsubishi in Phoenix, Arizona is the first one we’ve seen for sale that a person can buy right now.
Hellcat All The Things:
We learned of its existence from the folks at The Drive, and at $147,992 it's by no means cheap. Buyers will determine whether it’s worth the price, but it’s not like we haven’t seen six-figure custom Jeeps before (we’re looking at you, $200,000 Hennessey Maximus), never mind some of the incredible projects we’ve seen from Icon 4x4. This 2020 Rubicon isn’t somebody’s backyard project either – it hails from the Michigan garage of America’s Most Wanted 4x4, which you may recall built a custom two-door Gladiator with a Hellcat swap a couple months ago. From what we can see in the photos of this silver Jeep, the build looks clean and tidy from front-to-back.
Gallery: Hellcat Swapped Jeep Gladiator For Sale
Images courtesy Sterling Stucky / Mark Mitsubishi
As for the details, this Gladiator Rubicon comes from the factory decked out with leather seats, the larger 8.4-inch touchscreen with navigation, and the full gauntlet of Rubicon-specific items. The custom work extends well beyond the Hellcat V8, starting with an upgraded TeraFlex suspension that adds a three-inch suspension lift. There’s also a Yeti track bar under there, along with Falcon shocks. It rides on a set of 22-inch wheels with 37-inch tires, and it looks, well, mean. Technically it’s a used vehicle with 1,456 miles showing on the odometer, but for all intents and purposes, this is about as close to getting a new Gladiator Hellcat as you’ll get.
It's A Jeep Thing:
That is, for now anyway. Jeep has said that a factory-built Gladiator Hellcat isn’t happening because the engine basically becomes the crumple zone in a crash. There’s obviously room for the mill under the hood, but Jeep doesn’t believe such a combination would meet federal crash standards. Still, we can’t help but notice there are already a lot of Hellcat Gladiator swaps out there, and we’re betting Jeep notices too.
In other words, never say never.
Source: Mark Mitsubishi via The Drive