What Is a Dodge Scat Pack and How A lot Is It?

When the Dodge Scat Pack got here to dealership showrooms in 2015, the identify Scat Pack was already enshrined in Mopar lore. Dodge had given beginning to the Scat Pack in 1968 to indicate a gaggle of particular efficiency vehicles that had been able to operating the quarter-mile in underneath 15 seconds—a substantial feat for any automotive of the muscle automotive period. These Mopar muscle machines got here from throughout the Dodge product steady and encompassed the compact A-Physique just like the Dodge Dart GTS and Dodge Swinger 340, the mid-sized B-Physique fashions just like the Coronet R/T, Tremendous Bee, and the Dodge Charger R/T, and the ponycar section with the E-Physique primarily based Challenger R/T.

Maybe unfairly, the second technology of Scat Packs was launched to the market in 2015 similtaneously the paradigm-shifting 707-hp Hellcat Hemi Challenger. Overshadowed by SRT’s latest ground-based fighter jet, the 392ci Hemi-equipped Dodge Scat Pack Challenger and Charger could be the successors to the SRT 392 Challenger (2011-2018) and Charger (2012-2018) which might fade quietly from view despite the SRT 392’s superior brake package deal, extra aggressive tire footprint, and flatter high-speed dealing with. Most agree that the SRT 392’s loss was greater than compensated for by the appearance of SRT’s Hellcat-powered variants, however the plain-Jane 392 SRTs signify a rising used-car worth, as we will see.

Regardless that the digital footprints of the 2011-2018 SRT 392 Challenger and Charger have been largely ignored by the web, it is instructive however to evaluation the Scat Pack 392’s precursor right here. SRT was tasked with growing the 392ci “Apache” Hemi—rated initially at 470 hp—as a alternative for the 425hp 6.1-liter Hemi, which was unique to SRT automobiles from 2008 to 2010. The 392ci Apache Hemi is taken into account the defining function of the 2015-present Dodge Scat Pack. Code-named Apache, the third-generation reincarnation of Chrysler’s 392 Hemi V-8 supplied extra displacement and better-flowing cylinder heads, and would finally spawn the workhorse Ram-exclusive 392 BGE Hemi (2014) and Hellcat Hemi V-8s (2015). Additional respiration enhancements elevated the Apache 392’s output to 485 hp when it debuted within the Dodge Scat Pack Charger and Challenger in 2015.

The attract of the 392 Hemi-powered Dodge Scat Pack Charger and Challenger, relative to the over-achieving SRT 392 fashions, was largely one in all value. By scratching such objects because the SRT 392’s bigger and costlier Brembo six-piston brakes, Nappa leather-based inside, 900-watt Harman-Kardon speaker system, and Bilstein adaptive dampers, the price of a 392 Hemi-equipped Dodge could possibly be introduced down considerably. For instance, in 2015, the primary yr each the SRT 392 Charger and Scat Pack Charger had been supplied on the identical time, the bottom value of an SRT 392 was $48,380 in comparison with the $40,990 MSRP for a Scat Pack Charger, a distinction of $7,390.

What was identified by Dodge’s president Tim Kuniskis in a latest interview, and has since been borne out within the gross sales success of the Dodge model, is that clients extra readily relate to pull racing than street course racing. Even when potential clients do not take part in any type of racing, it’s drag racing that’s the frequent aspirational denominator amongst would-be lovers, and the gross sales success of the 392 Hemi-powered Scat Pack (a throwback to Dodge’s historic success in drag package deal vehicles) and its uncooked efficiency numbers make the Dodge Scat Pack in all its guises (Scat Pack Challenger, Scat Pack Charger, Scat Pack Widebody Challenger, Scat Pack Widebody Charger, Scat Pack 1320) an unmitigated success within the showroom and on the drag strip.

All 392 Scat Pack Dodges share the identical Hemi V-8 structure and tune and have a rated output of 485 hp (6,100 rpm) and 475 lb-ft of torque (4,100 rpm). When the Dodge Scat Pack debuted in 2015, HOT ROD had the chance to independently confirm the ability output on a Dynojet chassis dyno at Kenne-Bell Efficiency in Rancho Cucamonga, California (see the story right here). The mannequin examined was a Scat Pack Challenger with the eight-speed TorqueFlite transmission and peak energy measured 432 hp at 5,900 rpm on the rear wheels. It is usually enjoyable to notice that, together with the 392’s enhance in output from 470 hp to 485 hp, Dodge additionally upgraded the transmission from the five-speed automated (the Mercedes-derived NAG1) to the eight-speed TorqueFlite in 2015. This allowed the fanatic/drag racer to maintain the engine at or close to the engine’s energy peak by way of even handed use of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

The Dodge Scat Pack was initially a group of three 1968 Dodge fashions: the Dodge Charger R/T, the Dodge Coronet R/T, and the Dodge Dart GTS. After the success of the non-factory Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge big-block Dart GSS and Dodge’s Dodge Revolt advert marketing campaign of 1967 (a collection of adverts loosely selling Dodge efficiency automobiles) the Dodge Scat Pack grew to become a recurring fixture for Dodge by way of the 1971 mannequin yr, although none of those vehicles had been truly given the identify “Scat Pack.” Throughout the unique group of Scat Pack vehicles are the 2 names central to right this moment’s Dodge Scat Pack: the Charger R/T and the Challenger R/T, each out there in 392 Hemi-equipped Scat Pack trim. The identify Scat Pack is a play on the “Rat Pack,” a revolving group of postwar Hollywood entertainers recognized for his or her partying antics. Substituting “rat” with the rhyme “scat” emphasised the pace with which these partying antics may unfold. The time period “scat” imparts extra which means from the free-spirited improvisational vocalizations of jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Cab Calloway, and is echoed in Chrysler’s flamboyant coloration pallet popularized by the youth anti-establishment artwork and tradition actions of the Nineteen Sixties.

After the introduction of the widebody Dodge Demon in 2018, Dodge rapidly migrated the widebody remedy all through the Dodge passenger-car line-up. The transfer was a styling and efficiency breakthrough that grew to become out there on the bargain-oriented Scat Pack and, afterward, even the 5.7-liter Hemi-powered R/T Charger and Challenger. On the heart of the widebody remedy are wider 20×11-inch wheels mounted with 305/35R20 tires. These are lined by wider fender flares and home bigger Brembo six-piston brake calipers with 14-inch rotors. Aerodynamic splitter/spoilers are fitted to each ends of Widebody-equipped fashions, and total trip peak is decrease as the results of a stiffer suspension for extra stability at excessive pace.

Dodge provides the Scat Pack Challenger and the Scat Pack Charger in each narrow-body and widebody variations, and the price of the widebody remedy provides about $6,000 to the MSRP. Although the invoice of supplies that comprise the widebody remedy possibility appears minimal (you’ll be able to examine the right way to convert your present narrow-body Challenger to a widebody right here), the aesthetic impact is transformational. The LX platform on which the Charger and Challenger is predicated has a characteristically excessive cowl peak relative to its slender observe width, empowering the widebody remedy to terribly flattering impact. The stylistic windfall of the widebody possibility is kind of impartial of its important lateral-g dealing with profit (.94g for widebody versus .92g for narrow-body). The one Scat Pack mannequin that’s not supplied in widebody type (but!) is the Scat Pack 1320.

In 2019, Dodge introduced it will be constructing a drag-specific model of the Scat Pack Challenger referred to as the 1320, named for the variety of ft in a quarter-mile. For drag racing cognoscenti, the Scat Pack 1320 incorporates most of the highly effective drag racing instruments discovered on the Dodge Demon, with the essential exception of the Demon’s supercharged 840-hp Demon Hemi V-8. Dodge president Tim Kuniskis has stated in regards to the Scat Pack 1320: “I wished to construct a automotive that was prepped and plumbed for nitrous, which after all we won’t do. It is a joke, however I at all times joke round that the 1320 was the ‘power-adder prep package deal.’ As a result of it is able to go, proper? You’ve got bought the suspension, you have bought the tires, it is a actually cool package deal. In case you ever repeat this, it’s important to say, ‘He stated he was kidding!'”

In case you’re questioning what on earth Kuniskis is speaking about, you are most likely not a 1320 buyer, however if you’re, take into account this: The 1320 incorporates manufacturing facility Nexen drag radials in any respect 4 corners, the Demon’s indestructible 41-spline rear half-shafts, the Demon’s line-lock for burnouts, the Demon’s trans brake, and the Demon’s drag-oriented lively suspension. In fact, there’s additionally the Scat Pack’s succesful 485-hp 392ci Apache Hemi, which has confirmed amazingly adept at responding to the aftermarket’s many energy components, together with smog-legal supercharger kits. The Scat Pack 1320 is tough to identify in site visitors except you already know what to search for; the enameled chrome-plated emblems on its fenders painting the Scat Pack Bee wanting ahead (not behind, as if watching an opponent catching up), and he or she’s carrying a severe race helmet with the quantity “1320” just under her.

In regular instances when there is not an absence of stock in seller showrooms, the worth of a used automotive is considerably lower than that of a brand new automotive, however a survey of used 2015-to-2020 Dodge Scat Packs on eBay Motors relative to the price a brand new one on Dodge.com offers some shocking insights. The primary broad-stroke statement is that used standard-body Scat Pack Challengers are by far probably the most prevalent within the used-car market in comparison with all different Dodge Scat Pack fashions (widebody variants, 1320, and Charger). We discovered the typical used value for a 2015-2020 narrow-body Challenger Scat Pack to be $39k (A model new one configured on the Dodge.com web site rings in at $42,895 for a base mannequin and $56,725 for a well-optioned narrow-body). Transferring as much as a widebody Challenger Scat Pack produces much more weird outcomes with the typical value for a used widebody operating at $50k the place a new base-model widebody Scat Pack Challenger rings in at simply $48,220 (A well-optioned widebody Challenger Scat Pack tops out at $59,135). We discovered no used Dodge Scat Pack 1320s on the market the day we checked on eBay however a special-order quote for a Scat Pack 1320 on Dodge.com got here in at $44,410 (well-optioned at $49,660).

You might properly ask, what’s occurring right here? Stock is depleted as a result of a scarcity of microprocessors leaving solely a smattering of used stock which may then be marked manner up. As high-performance automobiles just like the Dodge Scat Pack are nearly at all times an impulse purchase, few consumers elect to special-order a automotive with a hefty down fee then wait one other three months to get supply. This, nevertheless, is popping out to be the sensible transfer, particularly because the curtain is about to return down on the Hemi V-8 ceaselessly come 2024.

So what in regards to the Dodge Charger Scat Pack, the four-door sedan model of the 392 Scat Pack household? Used Scat Pack Charger sedans (versus used Challenger coupes) are greater than twice as uncommon and the typical asking value on the day we checked was an insane $50k—for a narrow-body Charger Scat Pack. This compares with simply $42,895 for a brand new base Scat Pack Charger and $56,725 for a well-optioned unit (You principally save seven grand by shopping for a brand new one and ready for it to reach).

As for the Widebody Charger Scat Pack, we discovered zero used items on the market on eBay Motors and almost zero stock of recent items on showroom flooring, so for those who may even discover one, the price of same-day supply will probably be predictably excessive. However, for those who robust it out and particular order a brand new widebody Charger Scat Pack and wait just a few months for supply, you’ll be able to count on to pay simply $48,795 for a base unit and about $62,745 for a extremely optioned one. If a widebody Scat Pack Charger is your ceaselessly dream automotive, the wait will appear insignificant and the cash you save could possibly be many 1000’s of {dollars}—sufficient maybe to pay for a blower package.

There’s one shiny mild on the finish of the Charger Scat Pack tunnel: for those who search as a substitute for a used 2015-2018 Charger or Challenger 392 SRT (the 392-powered model with SRT’s greater brakes, wider tires, Nappa leather-based inside, 900-watt stereo, and suspension) there are fairly just a few out there underneath $40k. Why is that this? On this case, a bigger however arguably less-informed buyer base flocked to the viral Scat Pack mannequin, not realizing {that a} extra well-equipped model already existed. One other clarification as to why the SRT 392’s $8,000 premium has been erased within the used-car market is as a result of previous to the Hellcat’s launch the SRT 392 was the highest efficiency mannequin. Many of those house owners opted to take a loss in trading-up rapidly to a Hellcat. Their loss is your acquire! Time to seize a pampered SRT 392 earlier than everybody else figures it out.

In case you’re searching for a very good ol’ slice of American V-8 muscle-car pie, with room for American-sized individuals on wide-open American-sized roads, there actually is not any different alternative than a Hemi-powered Dodge. Different home producers nibble on the edges; a Cadillac can do the identical factor, however at what value? A Mustang GT is arguably a quicker automotive for a similar value however neglect about taking the household on an extended journey. The identical goes for a Camaro (which lately grew to become out there in LT trim with a 455-hp 6.2-liter V-8 and an MSRP of $35,195). To be sincere, there is no such thing as a substitute for what a Dodge Scat Pack does. For the second, the perfect deal appears to be special-ordering a brand new Scat Pack ($43k will get the job performed) and ready nevertheless lengthy it takes. Alternatively, one can chunk the bullet on no matter stays of seller stock (often stuffed with bloat choices) or getting a used one and paying a smidgen much less. We’re on the finish of the street with high-powered ICE engines, so if a Hemi is what you have at all times craved and you want the worth proposition of the 485-hp 392ci Hemi-powered Dodge Scat Pack, what are you ready for?