Jeep Gladiator gets sawn in two to accommodate the Hellcat engine

Roughly a month ago, someone in the Jeep management let it slip that you could squeeze the monstrous Dodge Challenger Hellcat engine inside the Jeep Gladiator pickup truck and make it work. That said, he described the idea of mass-producing of such trucks as anything but viable: the 707-hp (527-kW) power mill requires plenty of heat dissipation, and a frontal collision would surely send it ramming straight through the cabin.

You would think that was it – but you would be sorely mistaken. As it turned out, California-based tuner Dynatrac was sufficiently inspired by that interview to start building its very own Jeep Gladiator Codex with the Hellcat engine at its core.

The scope of the project is mind-boggling. The team first had to saw the car in half, then make it around 60 cm (2 ft.) shorter, ditch the rear seats along with the doors, and design a new off-road suspension from scratch. It also had to move the fuel tank to a different place.

Now, many would expect such an ambitious undertaking culminating in a Frankencar only fit for displaying at auto shows. Wrong again! Dynatrac has somehow managed to make its ride street-legal and immediately proceeded to take it along on a test drive in rural America. Crazy…

Here’s waiting for more news about the incredible Jeep Gladiator Codex!

Photos: motor1.com