Sometimes you just want to let loose. You want a weekend of madness where you experience life in the fast lane. Well, on March 1, 2014, my birthday. That is exactly what I achieved. You see, I had hired a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. If you haven’t seen or experienced one of these before, let me tell you in a few lines what you have missed. This vehicle is a powerful monster of a car. When you press the accelerator, you feel your internal organs press against the car seat as you fly forward. If you slam the accelerator (not recommended for the uninitiated). You feel your blood, stop in your veins and a dizziness that is only overcome by the adrenaline that kicks in at about 500 ms then courses through your body. Driving such a car, you’d have thought I’d have been the most popular person on the streets. After all, who wouldn’t want to be me on that day, experiencing the kind of thrill only a 707 hp engine can provide. Well the truth is, I met 2 camps of people. I got admiring glances and outright taunts to put the pedal down from those that understood the car that I was driving. From the majority of the others I got accusatory stares, and under the breath murmurings of disapproval.
Power
As I pulled into my driveway after a truly exciting two-hour drive, I met some true resistance in the form of my neighbour. “Do you know how much damage you’re doing to the environment driving that monstrosity? Have you no conscience?” I was a bit taken aback, and the cleverest thing I could think to say was, “it’s my birthday”. Why I felt I had to justify my choices is now beyond me. I guess we have a built-in mechanism that tries to fit in and get along, especially when it comes to those living in close proximity. The reality is that I am not a bit ashamed that I took a gas guzzler and beast and hammered it around the streets to the limits of what is legal. I’m not ashamed, and if I could I would do so every single day of my life. There are 2 types of people in this life. Those that talk about excitement and those that experience it. If you are a talker, then the Dodge Challenger Hellcat is a vehicle you should avoid. If you are a doer, then you need to drive this car at least once in your life to experience the real rush of power.
Brute Force
Cars have been dumbed down a bit these days. They have become about handling and smoothness, balanced with a bit of speed. I’ll take brute force and straight-line speed any day of the week. So I’ve already planned my next birthday. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to read that I will be out on the streets again in a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, absorbing the admiration of some, and rebuffing the distaste of most.
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