Off-road Dodge Challenger Hellcat? One designer asks why not

Online chatter regarding Dodge's 707-hp monster engine has hit record highs, and for good reason. We've driven the 2015 Challenger Hellcat and determined that it is, unsurprisingly, a properly fast muscle car; and, perhaps more surprising, one that can actually handle corners. But how does it handle off road?

That's not a question many will have ever thought to ask, except that one man did. His conclusion: not nearly good enough. Enter the concept Dodge Challenger A/T Untamed, the first muscle car that can scale giant rock faces while still obliterating the strip.

The man with the mad mind is Joey Ruiter, a designer based out of Grand Rapids, Mich. Ruiter told Autoblog that an off-roading Challenger with the 707-hp motor would be the "most insane ride ever." However he did concede that a tuned V-6 might make more sense due to the weight savings. (I say screw weight, because Hellcat.)

You may be forgiven for presuming that Ruiter would take a truck chassis and merely dress it in Challenger's clothing. But the A/T Untamed starts life as a stock Challenger, with long-travel suspension, flared fenders, "body armor," skid plates, racing bucket seats, and of course massive off-road tires, all being affixed after the fact.

The Challenger A/T currently sits in concept form, primarily because the package is still under development. Ruiter hopes to create multiple A/T kits for both Mustangs and Camaros, as well as the Challenger A/T Untamed. Which is great, because comparing times on the drag strip or racetrack is becoming a little cliche in the world of muscle cars. Taking these brutes off-road seems like the next logical step.