MOPAR fans have enjoyed the Hellcat engine for nearly a decade, while Dodge is still planning to give us powerful V-8 Hemi engines, they are headed to extinction. Be that as it may, the supercharged V-8 is still around and this Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk featured on That Racing Channel is a perfect example of what the Hellcat engine is capable of once you go balls out and modify the heck out of it. This one is a perfect example of what a high-end build, accompanied by some interesting decisions, is capable of.

Making a case for a 5,400-pound behemoth on the drag strip

The TRC Invitational is where this modified Jeep Trackhawk shows what it has got. The 5,400-pound (2,450 kg) curb weight and brick-like shape are an obvious drawback, especially when compared to its rival, which is a BMW S1000RR motorcycle. The Bavarian crouch rocket packs a 999 cc, inline-four engine that develops 205 horsepower (151 kilowatts) at 13,000 RPM and 83 pound-feet (113 Nm) at 11,000 RPM.

The bike has an obvious aerodynamic advantage and also has a wet weight of just 434 pounds (197 kg), which is almost 12 times lighter than the Jeep. However, the Jeep packs eight times more power and an endless supply of torque and traction thanks to its all-wheel-drive system and fully-built, eight-speed automatic transmission, built by Pure Drivetrain Solutions.

The biggest feat of the Grand Cherokee, of course, is the engine. The 6.2-liter Hellcat V-8 has been modified by EMP Performance and now packs 411 cubic inches (6,73 liters) of displacement. The engine has been fully-built and features a custom twin-turbo setup, consisting of two 68mm Precision turbos, hidden down low. “They are also that hidden when you want to work on them”, the owner adds.

A controversial modification that’s for the better

If you are a MOPAR fan, you might find the owner’s decision to swap out the stock, 2.4-liter supercharger for a twin-turbo setup a bit odd. While the iconic supercharger wine is gone, the twin-turbo setup comes with its own set of awesome sounds minus the parasitic effect. Out of the box, the Trackhawk is quicker than most would ever need. With 707 horsepower (527 kilowatts) and 645 pound-feet (875 Nm), the Trackhawk manages a 3.5-second 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) sprint, on to a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).

This modified example, as you can tell from the video, manages the quarter-mile in way under the stock model's 11.7-second time and 116 mph (187 km/h) trap speed. The twin-turbo setup is not only better for top-end power, but in this particular case, it works a 25 Psi (1.7 bar), which is more than double the stock Hellcat engine’s 11.6 psi (0.8 bar) of boost.

The Demon Mod

When the Dodge Demon came out, it brought many cool features. We won’t mention the obvious stuff like the wheelie capabilities out of the box or the 9.65-second quarter-mile time, as I am sure those are facts you are well familiarized with. This Trackhawk, however, has a modification that’s standard on the Demon. The A/C can be used to cool the air that goes into the engine, instead of cooling the car’s interior. This Jeep Trackhawk features a similar mod that allows the A/C to bypass the interior and instead, cool the engine.

The five-spoke, Weld wheels and Mickey Thompson tires hint that this Jeep will, likely, never see a dirt road in its foreseeable life. The lowered stance and carbon-fiber additions like the front splitter, rear spoiler, and front hood further distance the Grand Cherokee from its ancestral roots. Other must-have mods for this high-horsepower build include a beefier, nine-inch rear axle, carbon-fiber driveshaft, built transfer case, bigger injectors, upgraded intercoolers, and even a rear-seat delete, to name a few.

In typical fashion, this is one project that’s not yet finished. The owner reckons it can be even quicker as it is currently running a street map and not a more radical race map. Stopping power has been entrusted to a set of Brembo brakes. The modified Jeep Trackhawk certainly makes all the right noises. It’s quick enough to beat a crouch rocket in the quarter-mile and still has a full interior (kind of), which technically, makes it a very fast family car that packs Bugatti Chiron levels of power. With the Hurricane inline-six slowly worming its way into the engine bays of Stellantis models, it begs the question, can the new twin-turbo engine replace the old V-8 Hemi?