GOODBYE TO ALL THAT.
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Enthusiasts knew this day was coming, but the harsh reality is finally beginning to set in: The modern-day ICE Muscle Car Era is coming to a close. With the entire auto industry collectively focusing all of its product development money on Battery Electric Vehicles – with top executives not envisioning a scenario where they would devote any money to future ICE products – traditional piston-powered high-performance machines will begin slowly fading into the twilight.
This was confirmed when Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis told Motor Authority at the L.A. Auto Show that the company’s supercharged Hellcats and the other 392 V8-powered Chargers and Challengers in its Hot Rod lineup will be produced through the end of 2023 and then, that’s it. “There’s two more years to buy a Hellcat, then it's history," Kuniskis said.
After praising the Dodge boys and girls at the Stellantis headquarters out in Auburn Hills for the last few years for keeping the Big Horsepower Faith alive – and keeping the loud pedal down – in spite of the daunting waves of EVs that seem to be washing over the business like a tsunami, the news that the end is nigh is both wistful and sobering.
It’s no secret that the last decade has brought enthusiasts an array of high-performance ICE machines that will go down in automotive history as the greatest this industry has ever seen. Remarkable machines from Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford – not to mention exotic supercars and production cars from the import manufacturers – have left an indelible mark on the landscape. Back in ancient times, 400HP to 500HP was considered other worldly, or something reserved for pure racing cars, but that turned out to be a mere speed bump on the road to 800HP, 900HP, 1000HP and even more. Never mind the exotics, the fact that you can put your hard-earned money down and drive a Dodge Challenger or Charger off of the showroom floor with near (or over) 800HP is simply mind-blowing, no matter what era you’re coming from.
What will replace these rocket sleds? The Charger and Challenger are slated to move to an electrified STLA Large platform, which is capable of up to 500 miles of range. Dodge will unveil an electric concept car in 2022 that will signal what its electrified muscle car might look like in 2024.
What kind of horsepower will these machines have? I expect 700HP will be the base equivalent power, with 1100HP or more for the Hellcat versions. So, the smoky burnouts and ripping straight-line performance will be there, there’s no question. But the guttural roar and supercharged whine made famous by the Dodge muscle cars will be replaced by slot-car whizzy noises endemic to EVs, combined with projected electronically-enhanced sounds in the interior.
In other words, it’s all over but the shouting, folks.
Make no mistake, the EV thing is cool and all, at least up to a point. They’re seamless and impressive and somewhat fun to drive, but the visceral thrill and unforgettable sound of ICE-powered high-performance machines will never be replaced. Yes, you can dial up incredible amounts of horsepower equivalents in the coming wave of EVs, but the lack of a defining, signature sound and the prodigious battery weight that comes with them will hinder every aspect of performance other than in a straight line. These are no dancing lightweights with cat-quick agility, to be charitable, no matter how much the manufacturers protest. These are leaden, cumbersome machines with severe limitations when it comes to dynamic performance.
We’ve already seen the realities of this in the Porsche Taycan, a bloated 5000 lb.+ heavyweight that is so far removed from the Porsche idiom that it’s borderline criminal. I know this will raise pitchforks from Porsche-ists across the land, but I don’t care, it’s the High-Octane Truth. (For the record, I don’t care for the bloated, heavyweight, “high-performance” ICE crossovers and SUVs, either. It’s a flat-out stupid, 5000 lb.+ vehicle segment, one that, to be honest, isn’t going away any time soon, much to my disgust.)
Fortunately, the close of 2023 will only mark the end of the opportunity to order one of these famous Dodge Hot Rods “as new” from the manufacturer. I am confident that other manufacturers will continue to offer high-performance ICE machines from the factory through at least 2025, if not beyond. (At least I hope so, anyway.) I am also confident that the ultra-developed industry for ICE-powered high-performance machines will live on for decades to come, on the streets and on race tracks across the country, which for me, is a very good thing. No, make that an essential thing.
Thanks to my High-Octane life, my high-performance ICE memories go on forever.
There were my rides with design legend Bill Mitchell in some of GM Styling’s most famous concepts – the ’59 Corvette Sting Ray racer, ’62 Corvair Monza Super Sport, the Corvette XP-700, the Corvette Mako Sharks I and II, the Corvair Monza GT and SS – most with open pipes providing the unforgettable soundtrack.
There was the ’61 Impala SS with a 409 V8 and 4-speed that Ed Cole sent over to us for the weekend. It was his personal driver and at the time – the option hadn’t even been announced yet.
There was the White/Black ’62 Corvette that we “borrowed” from GM PR every weekend of that summer.
The ‘63 Black/Black 260 Cobra (one of the early ones without side vents and the original badging) that we “borrowed” from Pontiac Engineering almost every weekend.
The ’63 Silver/Black Corvette Sting Ray – again, Ed Cole’s personal driver – that he let us borrow for the weekend, before the Sting Ray was officially introduced.
The ’64 Black/Black fuel-injected Corvette Sting Ray that we gutted, put a roll bar in and drove to Watkins Glen so my brother Tony could attend a SCCA Driver’s School, but not before Zora Arkus-Duntov took it for two weeks and “massaged” it.
The ’64 Pontiac XP-400 convertible with a Mickey Thompson-prepared 421-cu. in. V8 supercharged with a 671 GMC blower. (It easily spun the tires in all four gears. With five people in it.)
The surprisingly wonderful sound of our Black ’65 Corvair – with open J.C. Whitney headers – that we raced in “A” Sedan all over the Midwest and East Coast.
The ’67 Corvette Sting Ray L88 that was Tony’s first Corvette racing car. The sound of that bad-ass Corvette reverberated at SCCA races all over the Midwest. And all of the subsequent Owens/Corning Fiberglas Corvettes that were raced from ’68 through ’71 – there was no mistaking the sound of them and spanking the 427 Cobras made it all the better.
The ’69 Black/Black Corvette L88 roadster that we were going to turn into a “Daytona GT” and market to Corvette enthusiasts. My job was to “exercise” that car (with open headers, no less), and, needless to say, it was my distinct pleasure.
The ’73 Corvette that Tony put on the pole at Sebring for the 12 Hours (the race was an all GT event that year). It basically was a Can-Am V8, and the sound made the rest of the paddock stand up and take notice. Every time it went by.
All of the Can-Am races I saw in person, especially at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The sound of those Can-Am cars pouring down the Moraine Sweep was simply unforgettable with their high wings glinting in the hot sun. Simply mesmerizing.
And that’s not even a fraction of the memories I have. It’s no secret that all things being equal, I would take the sound of a high-horsepower V8 over the sound of any other ICE machine. At full-song they pound you in the chest and make your knees weak, and for that exact fleeting moment in time you feel more alive. Overstating it? Tell me that the next time you’re near a high-performance V8 that’s accelerating hard into the distance. There’s simply nothing else like it.
I will exit this mortal coil long before those unmistakable sounds go away, thank goodness.
I do welcome the EV era, but there are certain things about the ICE age – the visceral thrills, the guttural sounds, the sheer mechanical force, the undeniable emotional connection – that are simply irreplaceable.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to all that just yet.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: In case you're curious, you can watch this video of the late Jim Pace in a Can-Am McLaren vintage racer at Road America. It's one of Peter's most favorite videos and it captures that unmistakable V8 sound perfectly. -WG