The Manual Transmission Dodge Challenger Hellcat is Coming Back One Last Time

A muscle car is more than just a vehicle—it’s a unique driving experience because it uses a powerful engine, creative body types and styling, and a manual transmission to change the way you see and feel the road as you drive. So it’s a great joy—and great sadness—to say that the manual transmission Challenger SRT Hellcat will be in Dodge dealer showrooms in 2023 one last time before disappearing from the car market for good.

The Death of the Dodge Challenger and Charger

Dodge is moving on from some of the models in its classic lineup after dropping the V8 engine. Many vehicles, like the Challenger and Charger, depended on the V8 to stay powerful and fast in the modern market.

And especially in the minds of retro car lovers, some of the greatest older models just wouldn’t be the same anymore if they didn’t have the same engine. With Dodge also turning toward the future of electric vehicles, it makes sense they would need to cut back on or stop producing old models that won’t fit the new mold.

Unfortunately, many of the vehicles that don’t fit the mold for Dodge are muscle cars, which is why you’ve seen fewer of them at Dodge dealers in recent years. The manual option is also disappearing, even while the Challenger is still in production.

Back in 2021, a spokesperson for Dodge announced that the Hellcat wouldn’t have a manual transmission for the 2022 model year because of calibration issues and revisions.

The company didn’t give a timeline for when it would return, but now we know the issues were resolved in time for the 2023 model Challenger Hellcat to start rolling out.

The Last Hurrah: The Manual Hellcat Comes Back for 2023—the Same Year the Challenger is Leaving for Good

When Dodge first announced that they wouldn’t be making manual Challenger Hellcats last year, they said it would only be temporary—but then all of the talk about discontinuing the V8 and muscle cars began.

It’s easy to see why many thought the manual option wouldn’t return. Still, Dodge kept to their word and started offering a 6.2-liter V8 and six-speed manual transmission option for the 2023 Challenger SRT Hellcat online and through Dodge dealer showrooms recently.

And it’s just in time, too. Dodge also announced that 2023 would be the last model year for Challenger models to be manufactured. What the future has in store to fill the space left behind by one of Dodge’s greatest muscle cars is anybody’s guess.

But Dodge—and its parent company, Stellantis—has already started work on making electric vehicles that are just as good, or even better, than the old gas-guzzling classics.

Check out Dodge’s official website to learn more about the manufacturer’s latest models, and visit your local Dodge dealer in the next few months to get your hands on the last of the manual Challenger Hellcats!