F9 Spent Big Bucks on Dom’s Custom Dodge Charger Hellacious

If you’re wondering where F9 spent over $1 million of their huge budget, it was on revamping Dom’s state-of-the-art Dodge Charger.

If cars could be characters on the Fast and Furious franchise, the Dodge Charger would be the lead. The car has seen everything, from Dom’s childhood episodes to rash car chases that you’d need to hold onto your dear life for.

Every installation of the franchise had the car going through a series of changes or upgrades that just couldn’t be possible in the real world.

F9 was no different when Dom goes on to acquire the 1968 Dodge Charger Hellacious which has a super magnet attached to its back.

Of course, the magnet wasn’t real. In fact, through the course of the movies, most cars and their absurdly dangerous action sequences were achieved through green screens and special effects.

But what makes F9’s Charger rake up a bill of one million is its very real, custom-built mid-engine.

F9: The Fast Saga Director’s Cut reveals it all: Dennis McCarthy, a vehicle supervisor who worked on eight of the franchise’s films, teamed up with many veteran mechanics and his own venture SpeedKore to bring new life to the Dodge Charger.

Coming up with a fresh version of a Dom Charger gets trickier with every new installment because there isn’t much that we haven’t already done. Dom’s ‘F9’ Charger had to be something that was over-the-top, iconic and different from what we’ve done in the past.

With its mega-horsepower Dodge Hellcat motor, unique Charger engine location, and combination of old and new technology, the mid-engine Charger satisfies all of these criteria.

Dennis McCarthy

Mid-engines are more conventionally found in sports cars as it gives it more control and speed on slippery terrains. They’re not at all common in vehicles like the Dodge Charger.

But seeing how Fast and Furious goes through more action than an F1 course, this engine is more than perfect for the Charger.

Besides the mid-engine Hellacious, F9 also featured other Chargers: the 1327 Charger, the 1970 Charger Tantrum, and the 2020 SRT Hellcat. Did you manage to spot all of them?

All the Fast and Furious movies have been abundant with other high-end cars coming up to a total cost of $25 million.

Some of them have simply sat daintily in garage scenes. F9’s own London escapade had $1.8 million worth of high-end cars, of which Helen Mirren’s Queenie drove off in a Noble M600.

Right now, we might not expect anything that can outdo the Hellacious but the franchise still have two movies on the slate. With the promise of Fast and Furious going out with a big bang, comes the aspiration of bigger, better cars.

About Fast and Furious 9

Fast and Furious 9 (or F9) is an American action film directed by Justin Lin. The film is a sequel to 2017’s The Fast and Furious and the ninth instalment in the Fast and Furious franchise.

The film will star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and John Cena, among others. The film was delayed for over a year due to the pandemic in March 2020. It is scheduled to release in the United States on June 25, 2021.

Dominic Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian. But they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, the threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver ever seen: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob.