Performance shop SpeedKore created the "Hellucination" '68 muscle car for Dodge designer Ralph Gilles

It’s tough to find a more hardcore enthusiast than Ralph Gilles, head designer at Stellantis, and it looks like he’s got a new toy. It’s known as Hellucination, and it’s a 1968 Dodge Charger with a carbon-fibre body and 1,000 horses under the hood.

It was created by SpeedKore, a performance company located near Milwaukee that specializes in light cars that go really, really fast. The shop makes its own carbon-fibre components, updates chassis to be lightweight as well, and then drops in modified drivelines tuned for each vehicle.

Hellucination is a 1968 Dodge Charger with a “Hellephant” engine, a Hemi crate engine available right from Mopar Performance. It’s a 7.0L V8 – although we prefer calling it a 426 for its cubic-inch displacement – with a cast aluminum block, forged steel crank, and supercharger, and with a torque rating of 950 lb-ft of torque.

Mopar Performance says it can be dropped into almost any pre-1976 car, after you’ve paid US$32,260 for the engine and its “plug-and-play” installation kit. It’s based on the engine used in the 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat, but this higher-performance version is aftermarket-only.

The engine pushes those ponies through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission down to custom-made HRE wheels, 19-inch in front and 20-inch behind, wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. The carbon-fibre body is covered in matte clear-coat to show off the weave. It’s limited to two occupants, protected by a roll cage, and the floor pans and wheel tubs are carbon fibre as well. Out the back are 1968 Charger taillights customized to LED lighting.

Ralph Gilles – who was born in New York but raised in Montreal – has penned the design of several vehicles, including the Dodge Magnum, Chrysler 300, and 2003 Viper.

He also has the bona fides to make the most out of what Hellucination can do, given that he participates in racing including the SRT Viper Cup Series, as well as piloting go-karts (and having ridden with him around a track when he set out to show me what he could do, I can attest to it). Let’s hope we can hit him up for a ride in this one some time.

Sign up to receive Driving.ca's Blind-Spot Monitor newsletter on Wednesdays and Saturdays

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Driving.ca's Blind-Spot Monitor will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Here’s the real reason the motorcycle manufacturer is dumping its MotoGP racing team

The package pays homage to the Hemi engine's original colour

The company allegedly advertised false real-world fuel economy and payload capacity for some hybrids and pickup trucks

No, Mr. Bond—we expect you to drive! Preferably with quite a few friends of yours in the back

The rare 1969 aero warrior crossed the block at a Mecum event in Indianapolis in late May for US$1.32 million

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4

© 2022 Driving, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Edit your picks to remove vehicles if you want to add different ones.

You can only add up to 5 vehicles to your picks.