Sunday, 2 August 2026. Welcome back to another instalment of Cardle of the Day, the series where we play through the daily puzzle at Cardle and then spend a little time with whatever car the puzzle has decided to throw at us.
If you haven’t played Cardle before, here’s the short version: one car, five photo clues, each one progressively less cropped than the last. You can guess at any point or skip a clue to reveal a little more of the image. Identify the car before the fifth clue and you’re doing well. Reach clue five and you’re in good company — some of these are genuinely tricky.
How Today’s Puzzle Played Out
Today’s puzzle was a slow burn. The opening clue immediately took me to American Muscle, but it was only by clue two that I actually knew which one we were working with. Those unmistakable haunches, the fuel cap and with that beautiful colour, it had to be the Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
The cat from hell
The Dodge Challenger Hellcat arrived in 2015 wearing a supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI V8 producing 707 horsepower in its original form, a figure that I remember extremely well how it rattled the industry at the time – it was just unheard of. Dodge later pushed that to 717 hp in revised versions, and the range eventually spawned the Redeye variant at 797 hp and the SRT Super Stock at 807 hp. It felt like videogame figures.
The Challenger’s basic body architecture traces back to the 2008 model, itself a deliberate callback to the original 1970 Challenger, making it one of the longest running body structures in modern mainstream production, which of course adds even more to the whole “revival” idea. The Hellcat’s supercharger produces a distinctive whine audible inside the cabin, which became something of a calling card for the model among enthusiasts.
Dodge officially ended Challenger production in December 2023, making the final year cars, including the aptly named Last Call special editions, immediately collectible.
Sorry, we don’t speak subtle here
The Challenger Hellcat represents a wonderful corner of the market. It was enormous, thirsty, and made no apologies for anything about it, good or bad. Out of all the revivals, I might say it is my favourite. The Hellcat became a fixture in American car culture, from drag strips to takeovers, and now that the curtain has come down on Challenger production, the Hellcat sits in a very special place. See you tomorrow!
