Hellcat-swapped Gladiator Is a Freakish Monster
Crazy Gladiator remedies the notorious lack of power and brings crazy good looks to the table as it lays rubber through the streets.
It’s no secret that the Gladiator is underpowered. However, the owner of this example found a solution. Under the hood sits a 6.2-Liter supercharged engine from a hellcat, and it accelerates like we dreamed the Gladiator would. Alongside the swap comes a tasteful set of wheels, a lift kit and some fantastic lighting from Recon. This thing is truly a monstrous dream come true.
Brooks Weisblat is the mastermind behind the YouTube channel Drag Times, which usually features supercars and drag cars. Despite this, he met up with Heath Lewis, the owner of this ridiculous Gladiator, to bring us this fantastic video. What ensues is an incredible overlook of the ride, including plenty of supercharger whine, tire smoke, and even some tested zero-to-60 and quarter-mile times.
Based on its appearance, you’d assume this Gladiator doesn’t do much Jeep stuff. You’d be wrong in that assumption, however.
“So, offroading with the 700 horsepower?” asks Weisblat.
“Sure, why not. Let’s do it.” Lewis responds without hesitation.
That’s the kind of attitude we like to see in the owner of something of this caliber. While there is no off-roading in the video, his willingness to take it off the pavement gets a thumbs-up from us.
Doing this swap is not the most affordable thing, but its absurdity puts a smile on your face that money cannot buy.
“I think it comes in at just over $60,000 without the modifications, so you’re looking at probably a $100,000 Jeep” Weisblat explains as he walks around this beast.
A fully kitted Hellcat crate engine will cost you nearly $20,000.
“We tweaked the supercharger a little bit to make over 750 horsepower,” explains Lewis.
On top of that, this Jeep has trick custom lighting all around from Recon, a company that Lewis owns. They make aftermarket lighting for a broad spectrum of vehicles.
The Gladiator manages a brisk 0-60 in just 5.9 seconds, and a quarter-mile comes in the mid-14-second range. Perhaps a bit less than expected, but you have to consider the size of the thing. It’s kitted out with two winches, a lift kit, and 37-inch tires, so they estimate it weighs around 6,000 pounds.
While it isn’t the fastest Jeep around, we can’t get enough of it. This thing is loud, sexy, and unapologetic, so we applaud Lewis for his over the top creation.