Good morning, and welcome to a high-horsepower installment of Cold Start, your daily automotive news roundup. Since yesterday's recap, we've heard that the BMW M3 may go electric and came across a video of a two-seater Red Bull F1 car. We've also heard that James May crashed a Mitsubishi Evo while filming for The Grand Tour and seen a new teaser for Bentley's Mulliner Batur.
But today's edition of Cold Start focuses predominantly on new developments from Dodge, including news on a Challenger convertible, new performance parts, and the return of the Durango SRT Hellcat. Elsewhere, Bugatti has teased a new special-edition drop-top, Aston Martin has revealed its own roofless piece of art for the fabulously rich, and Porsche has essentially confirmed its F1 future. Let's take a look.
Insane Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Returns For 2023
When Dodge first introduced the extraordinary Durango SRT Hellcat, it said that the fire-breathing family car would only ever be offered for a single model year. Unsurprisingly, the SUV was a smash hit, and now that the future of the automotive landscape is practically destined to be electric, Dodge is giving HEMI fans one more opportunity to get behind the wheel of the world's wildest Little League shuttle. For the 2023 model year, the monstrous machine makes 710 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque, translating to a time-warping 0-60-mph sprint of 3.5 seconds and a tremendous top speed of 180 mph. It won't stick around for long, so keep an eye out for order opportunities.
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The Dodge Challenger Convertible Lives Again
Back in 1970, the original Dodge Challenger launched with a convertible version, which returned for the following year. But since then, the variant has not been offered besides by aftermarket companies. Interestingly, the current generation almost got made as a drop-top model alongside the coupe, but the powers that be decided that the car would get too heavy. Nevertheless, aftermarket companies have continued to provide such a thing, and now Dodge is fully endorsing the conversion, with dealerships offering an expedited transportation process for Challenger convertibles made by Drop Top Customs in High Springs, Florida. And yes, you can have a Hellcat.
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Bugatti Teases New Limited-Edition Convertible
Yesterday, a cryptic teaser arrived on social media in the form of a short clip uploaded by Bugatti's Instagram and Twitter accounts. Immediately, we hopped on Bugatti's press portals looking for clues but found none. Fortunately, the teaser told us plenty. The clip presented a new headlight design that looks as intricate as that of the one-off La Voiture Noire but in a new shape and with new accents. Secondly, the hashtag that accompanied both posts has only been used by Bugatti to talk about convertibles. Thus, it's clear that the Molsheim-based atelier is about to present something totally unique as a limited edition with a retractable top. Or perhaps no top at all. We'll report back as soon as the info can be made public.
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Aston Martin Unveils DBR22 Special Edition
Sticking with roofless special editions, Aston Martin has just taken the covers off its latest attempt at proving that rich people don't need roofs for their cars. Called the DBR22, the stunning new creation promises maximum impracticality, buckets of style, and an astronomical asking price. However, pricing and production are yet to be revealed, as this is simply a design concept at this point. But after its appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance from Friday, we're sure that Aston Martin will easily fill its order books. Expect the production version to cost close to seven figures, if not more, with the same 705-hp twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 as this concept.
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Porsche Trademarks 'F1nally' As Grand Prix Racing Beckons
It's been an ongoing saga for ages now, but Porsche is on the verge of finally confirming its entry into Formula 1, as CarBuzz discovered yesterday when coming across a trademark that the German automaker filed with its local patent office. The trademark is for the word 'F1nally' and will be used mainly for marketing purposes, although there is provision for more. Basically, Porsche is about to officially confirm its entry into the premier form of motorsport, announcing the worst-kept secret of 2022. Hopefully, there will be some clarity on how Red Bull's powertrain division will be working with the Zuffenhausen-based sports car manufacturer.
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