A green terror on the drag strip.
Ah, the Prius. A car that’s almost universally hated by enthusiasts due to its appliance-like approach to going green and saving the future. For what it is, it’s an impressive and innovative machine that goes through any length to improve fuel mileage from its hybrid powertrain and aerodynamics to its hypermiling wheels and tires.
But this Prius isn’t your ordinary Prius – it’s a Hellcat-powered monster that is the antichrist of all eco-minded Priuses. Called the PriuSRT8, this bad boy is a custom-built machine from Nick Fillipedes of American Racing Headers.
Virtually everything has been modified on the PriuSRT8. There’s a new military green livery with American flag, eagle, and exhaust along with all the stickers from the sponsors. There’s also a new set of wheels and tires that are designed for the drag strip. The front pair of wheels and tires are skinny to ensure less friction and better stability while the rear pair is fat and loaded with grip for the new powertrain.
Gone is the fuel-saving gasoline engine and electric motor along with their batteries and in is the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine from the Dodge Challenger/Charger SRT Hellcat. While the supercharged engine makes 707 horsepower in stock form, here it’s sending a whopping 800 horsepower to the rear wheels and tires thanks to some extensive modifications.
There’s also a new six-speed manual transmission instead of the numb CVT transmission found in the factory model. A new roll cage, safety harnesses, steering wheel, seats, and much more have also been installed while the interior has been gutted.
It doesn’t resemble the stock Prius mechanically or inside the cockpit much at all. But, the PriuSRT8 can do the quarter-mile in just 9.38 seconds at 147 mph. That means it’s most likely the fastest and quickest Toyota Prius on the planet.
Source: American Racing Headers YouTube
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