Challenger SRT Hellcat VIN0001 Raises $1.65 Million for Charity

Dodge auctioned the first production 707-horsepower 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat VIN0001, the most powerful and fastest muscle car ever, for $825,000 at the Sept. 27 Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2014 auction benefitting Opportunity Village, a not-for-profit organization that serves people with significant intellectual disabilities in the Las Vegas area. The Engelstad Family Foundation of Las Vegas matched the auction price, bringing the grand total raised for Opportunity Village to $1.65 million. With their generous donation, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat raised more money for charity than any other car in Barrett-Jackson history.

Barrett-Jackson waved all bidding and consignment fees, so 100 percent of the sale price goes to the charity.

“The $1.65 million raised by auctioning this one-of-one Dodge Challenger Hellcat at this year’s Barrett-Jackson auction means the most powerful muscle car ever will also have a very powerful impact on the people who benefit from the services of Opportunity Village,” said Tim Kuniskis, President and CEO, Dodge and SRT Brands, Chrysler Group LLC. “The VIN0001 muscle car was not only one of the hottest cars that rolled through the Barrett-Jackson auction lanes, it is also the ultimate collectible 2015 Dodge Challenger as Dodge is ensuring there will never be another one like it.”

The one-of-one special edition 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine and 0001 vehicle identification number (VIN), has an NHRA-certified quarter-mile time of 10.8 seconds at 126 mph with drag radials, 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque on tap right from the assembly line. Adding to the exclusivity, the donated muscle car is the only Dodge Challenger to ever have a Viper-exclusive Stryker Red exterior – hand-painted at the Dodge Viper paint facility – and it includes special Hellcat badging on the instrument panel and supercharger, specific VIN documentation and one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

The 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat VIN0001 has a class-exclusive TorqueFlite eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission with rev-matching downshifts, 15.4-inch Brembo front disc brakes with two-piece rotors and six-piston calipers, the largest brakes ever offered by Chrysler Group and 20-by-9.5-inch lightweight matte black forged-aluminum wheels. It will have newly designed interior trimmed in premium Black Laguna leather on performance-oriented seats, a modern dash layout featuring the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen and an authentic forged-aluminum supercharger plenum cover under the hood.

The auction package includes a 6.2-liter supercharger engine cover and a HEMI Orange painted base presentation box with a VIN0001 electronic vehicle build book and a video documentary on an iPad mini that shows the step-by-step build process of the car. The one-of-a-kind presentation box also includes still shots, vehicle footage, a customized key fob holder, an authentic Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat embossed Laguna Leather iPad sleeve, a SRT Hellcat lithograph and unique “birth certificate” for VIN0001. Additional information on the vehicle is available on the news feed page of www.driveSRT.com.

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and several Chrysler Group dealerships, was the winning bidder at the auction.

The Engelstad Family Foundation was established in 2002 in honor of family patriarch Ralph Engelstad. Since then, the foundation has donated generously to the Las Vegas community.

“With 707 horsepower, the 2015 Dodge Hellcat is more than just the most powerful muscle car built by an American manufacturer,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company. “It is also the means to help countless people with severe intellectual and related disabilities reach their potential. We’re honored that Dodge chose our 2014 Las Vegas auction to sell Hellcat VIN0001 to support Opportunity Village. Not only will the wonderful people at this organization benefit from the sale of this muscle car, but the winning bidder will own a truly amazing piece of American automotive history.”

“We are so unbelievably thankful for the support of Dodge and Barrett-Jackson,” Linda Smith, Associate Executive Director, Opportunity Village, stated. “We are touched by their amazing generosity and support of our mission here to support individuals with disabilities by giving them the chance to lead independent and fulfilling lives.”