Dom’s Fast 9 Mid-Engined 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, Might Be The Best Yet!

The ninth installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise is already in international theaters, while we in the United States have to wait just under two weeks to get a chance to see it on the big screen. Over the years, the franchise has gotten away from the street racing scene that the original film invoked, to become a series of far-fetched action-packed heist movies. Although they don’t play as big of a role as they did in the first few movies, cars continue to play an important part in the movie.

While Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto has been a favorite for Mopar fans since the first film. While his character’s hero car was a supercharged 1970 Dodge Charger, the Dodge and Mopar brands have been a huge supporter and sponsor of the films since the fifth installment (Fast Five), but helped supply some of the vehicles going back to the second installment (2 Fast 2 Furious) and even put in a bid to be the supplier of the hero car for Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner with the Dodge Neon SRT-4.

Way back in September 2019, we got our first peek at Dom’s latest Mopar ride, a 2019 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody on set for the initial shooting of the film. It would be over a full year, till we got to see other Mopars in the film, and probably the coolest is Dom’s mid-engined 1968 Dodge Charger powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI HELLCAT V8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnwWebWqytE

The supercharged mid-engined 1968 Dodge Charger rides on a lowered suspension, modified front fenders which arch inward, and widened rear fenders. The blacked-out look is enhanced with a slight dark bronze R/T “Bumble Bee” strip over the trunk and rear fenders of the car. A set of big Brembo red brake calipers and rotors can be seen behind a set of dark bronze wheels.

Inside, the HELLCAT V8 is separated from the passenger compartment, thanks to Plexiglas. For the driver and passenger, there is a set of low-back bucket seats to harness themselves into. The dash features your basic Autometer gauges and a number of various toggle switches, which makes the car’s already “bold” presence on street, look more for business than pleasure. 

The Charger’s signature “flying buttress” rear window has been replaced with a flush window which can be lifted up and the decklid removed to service the engine. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itTz8Zw7EL0

Many internet sleuths have said that the hero car, was built by the team at SpeedKore Performance Group. The Wisconsin-based shop is known for their custom carbon fiber B-Bodied Dodge Chargers like the Tantrum, Evolution, and most recently Hellraiser builds. They have also worked on previous hero cars for the Fast & Furious franchise like the “Ice Charger” from The Fate of the Furious (F8).

With a supercharged 6.2-liter “HELLCrate” HEMI® create engine costing around $20,000 USD these days, we are pretty sure that Dennis McCarthy who owns Vehicle Effects, will probably have a few clones powered by the much cheaper and easier to maintenance LS engines with faux IHI Hellcat superchargers strapped to the top of them for stunts and action sequences.

The car will make its debut appearance in F9, which opens in the United States on June 25th and in Canada on June 26th. The movie is already in theaters across Asia.