These Charger/Magnum Mashups Are Proof That the World Needs a Charger Hellcat Wagon
Imagine a better world with a longroof 707-HP Charger Hellcat.
The Dodge Magnum never really got a fair shot. The big muscle wagon debuted in 2005 under the notoriously dysfunctional "merger of equals" that was DaimlerChrysler, only to be cut during the recession of 2008. Instead of giving enthusiasts a new V8 powered long-roof, Dodge deemed the Journey crossover of all things to be the Magnum's worthy successor. If that's not bleak, I don't know what is.
Now some enterprising Magnum owners are giving their muscle wagons the update it always deserved, and it looks great. Behold, the bizarre love-child of a 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum and a present-day Dodge Charger. While this is mostly a front end conversion, the Charger front end blends in surprisingly well with the Magnum's somewhat blocky body.
JayeFab sells various kits online (including this late-model Charger one) to update the front end of your Magnum, should you desire to do so. The 2015-2019 Charger front end kit is cleverly done, too, as it integrates the side crease of the Magnum into the front fenders, where it intersects with a bulging fender flare. For $5,800, it's a lot cheaper than buying a new Charger, which doesn't even come in wagon form.
The only downside is that it doesn't come with an engine swap to upgrade it to a present-day Hellcat drivetrain. Some owners are taking that matter into their own hands, though, such as Will Arwady. Arwady swapped his Magnum's front end for that of a 2015 Hellcat Charger.
While Arwady still has the 6.1-liter SRT Hemi V8 that came in his Magnum, for now, he told Allpar that he plans to add the more powerful 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat Hemi V8 engine soon enough. You shouldn't have all show with inadequate go, after all.
Likewise, Jamaar Campbell procharged his "Chargum."
If you spend all day wondering how to destroy more tires, you have to appreciate a good wagon. You can completely shred all four tires on the car, and you'll have more than enough space to take them home in the back when you're done! The old Magnum packed 27.2 cubic feet of obliterated tire space behind the second row of passengers, so it was perfect! You can't do that in a Dodge Journey because the transmission in that pile would probably blow up before you're done, thus leaving you stranded, where you will most certainly die of starvation and be eaten by buzzards before anyone can reach your remote burnout pad of choice.
So, it's hard not to wonder what could have been if Dodge would have kept the Magnum around instead, updating it throughout the years. Would we have had the Hellcat-powered wagon of our wildest, burnout-ripping dreams? Probably.
[H/T Michael Fulcomer on the Wagon Mafia Facebook group!]
