Don’t Want to Wait For the Hellcat Cherokee Trackhawk? Build it Yourself.

By now you’ve probably heard that Jeep will be producing a 707 hp Grand Cherokee with the heart of a Hellcat. Ever since the Hellcat Challenger started making waves in the press, the automotive community has been eager to see what else Dodge can cram their monster powertrain into.

Fortunately for us, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is their next target, with a Hellcat-powered Trackhawk edition being shipped later this year. If, for whatever reason, you decide you can’t wait that long or don’t really care for the body style of the new Jeep, fear not:

You can build your own.

Dubbed “The Hellhawk”, what you’re feasting your eyes upon is a Hellcat-powered 2006-2010 WK1-generation Grand Cherokee from New York State. It was professionally built by True Street Performance and revealed to the world via Facebook and Instagram.

However, simply cramming the 707 hp engine into an old Cherokee’s engine bay was not a realistic solution, so the power plant had to be hot-rodded to 790 hp and 739 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. The car is equipped with the standard four-wheel drive, but most of the time it sends power to the rear wheels in an effort to preserve the driveline.

When it’s on the drag strip, those 790 horses are sent to all four wheels, bringing The HellHawk fully into its element. With a quarter mile time of just 10.84 seconds at 128 mph, this family-sized SUV can put most of the world`s supercars to shame.

Dangerous Motorcycle Stunt Clubs Causing Havoc in Southern California!

According to local media, a motorcycle stunt club called the Ruthless Ryderz have been causing chaos on Southern California’s highways. The club has been reported to have taken over stretches of highway by obstructing traffic, bringing other vehicles to a standstill and causing mayhem – just so that they could have space to perform stunts. Last Sunday, after stopping the traffic, one of these riders sadly lost their lives. 28 year old Leslie Elliot crashed whilst performing a stunt on the 15 Freeway in Corona, standing upright on his bike with no hands on the handle bars. He lost control of the bike and tumbled to the ground. He later died at the Corona Regional Medical Center. The question on everyone’s mind is why this had to happen in the first place?

Motorcycle Stunts And Public Roads

Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle knows how good the feeling is when you make that machine between your legs do exactly what you want. For some riders, it’s all about finding that perfect line through a corner, for others it’s all about that perfect gear change. For some, riding it on one wheel is where they get their kicks, and others go even further than that. Stunting is great, but there is definitely a time and a place. If you want to execute the perfect racing line, then you’ve got to do it on a proper closed circuit. If you want to slice through the gears like a surgeon, you’re best off on the strip. And if you want to pull of some insane stunts…yeah, you know where this is going.

We’ve all seen incredible stunt riders pulling off amazing feats on their motorcycles – but they’re never occurring on the road. And why do the world’s best stunt riders perform and practice in closed environments? Because it’s safer for everyone involved. If you want to practice your stunt riding, you do it in a vacant lot or on private land – somewhere where you can crash safely and not be a nuisance to anyone. We all know how good it feels when you pull of a great stunt, but performing them on public roads is dangerous, for everyone in the vicinity. If you hurt yourself pulling off a stunt, you can console yourself thinking “it was my mistake, I can suffer the consequences” but if you were to hurt or kill someone else, it’s a very different story.

Take It Somewhere Safe

Unfortunately, someone had to die recently. According to the CHP, a group of 20 to 30 riders who are believed to be part of the Ruthless Ryderz motorcycle stunt club, blocked traffic to allow their members to perform stunts on the highway. It doesn’t matter how skilled a motorcyclist you are, anything can happen on a highway, and sadly accidents like this will happen. Here’s what CHP Sgt. Nathan Baer had to say about the dangers of stunting on a highway alongside other traffic: “When a big group of motorcycles stops or swerves around them {other cars} it scares other motorists too and causes them to lose control.” Just riding a motorcycle alongside erratic and unpredictable traffic is dangerous enough – doing it whilst pulling off a stunt is just crazy.

15 Used SUVs and Crossovers You Should Avoid Buying at All Costs

After we recently brought you the list of used trucks you might want to avoid, we’re now moving onto SUVs. Although the mentioned trucks list did ruffle a few feathers, this doesn’t mean all of them are bad. Only a few rotten model years. And we simply had to list every manufacturer in order to give you the best possible scope of the situation. Again; this doesn’t mean every pickup truck out there is bad. You should just be extra vigilant if you’re shopping for the ones (model years) listed there.

Now that that’s settled, here’s what we’ll do with this one. Since there are much more SUVs in general, we won’t be able to list all the makes currently out there, let alone those that have been discontinued. This is why we’ll only list really dodgy SUV model years that have suffered from well documented defects. Moreover, we’re only taking the last 15 years or so into account. Buying a used car is always a risk, but buying a nineties or older used car is even more so, and there’s no universal warning that can prepare you for what’s coming if you decide to tread that path. 

Buick Enclave was all new back then, and it replaced both the Rendezvous and Rainier SUVs. It was a step in the right direction for Buick who desperately needed something modern in their lineup. However, GM-Ford 6T75 automatic transmission didn’t really match Enclave’s enthusiasm. 2008 and 2009 model years are probably the ones you’d like to avoid, even though most of them are supposed to be fixed by now. Still, you never know, so ask for relevant recall paperwork or licensed mechanic’s receipt if you really must shop for ’08 or ’09 Enclave.