1999 Dodge Dakota R/T Gets Hellcat Swap To Become Wild "Hellkota"

It even has the dash from its Dodge Charger Hellcat donor car.

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Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Jun 9, 2022 at 7:17pm ET

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Once upon a time, the Dodge Dakota ruled the midsize truck segment with virtually no competition to speak of. These days, Ford has the Ranger and Chevrolet has the Colorado, but Dodge (and Ram) fans are left in the dark. Just imagine the Hellcat possibilities if a new Dakota were in the mix.

To help you with that, we present this video from Holley Performance on YouTube. What we have here is a 1999 Dodge Dakota R/T, which back in the day was a stout street truck with its 5.9-liter V8 engine. It pumped out 250 horsepower at a time when Detroit's most powerful muscle cars offered around 320, but alas, times have really changed. This truck now packs a legit supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 engine, borrowed from a Dodge Charger. But wait, there's more.

If you follow the BoostedMotorsports YouTube channel you likely already know the details. For the rest, this Charger-to-Dakota swap also includes the eight-speed automatic transmission. And to give the truck a modern interior, even the Charger's dash is called into duty. As a result, this truck has a surprisingly factory look to it. The Charger's dash also allows room for the wiring and electronics to keep the Hellcat V8 happy. The monster Dakota has the Hellcat's various drive modes, center touchscreen, and even the paddle shifters on the steering wheel work.

What do you think?

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At this point, you're probably wondering just how insanely fast this street truck is. That's a question we can't answer just yet, as this hellish Dakota (officially called the Hellkota) is apparently still a work-in-progress. The video offers an overview of the truck along with some wicked tire-destroying donuts, but there haven't been any dyno pulls or quarter-mile passes thus far. As you can probably guess, there's significant customization underneath the skin to make the engine and transmission fit. The rear end is also beefed up, and the video mentions dialing in the truck before going crazy on power mods.

With time winding down on internal combustion engines, the age of new Hellcat vehicles is probably over. That means a factory Dakota Hellcat from Ram will likely never happen, so let's savor these rad builds while they last.