Mystery Mopar Near CTC: Is Dodge Hiding a HEMI Cuda in Plain Sight?
Something with Dodge DNA—and some very un-Charger details—has been roaming Detroit. Multiple spotters near Stellantis’ Chrysler Technology Center (CTC) reported a black, Charger-shaped prototype with a front end that didn’t match either the gasoline Charger or the Daytona EV. Hood shape? Different. Fascia? Different. Badges? Covered. From the rear it read “Charger,” but head-on it told another story. Cue the question every Mopar fan wants answered: is this our first look at a modern Cuda—or a HEMI Charger mule in disguise?
Why This Sighting Matters
Within hours of the first messages, more tips landed: Facebook pings, emails, and even talk of taped fender emblems and a pronounced hood bulge. TK’s Garage threw down a bounty for spy shots and audio, which says two things: (1) people really saw it, and (2) whatever it is, it’s far enough along to be running around on public roads near CTC.
That lines up with what we’ve been hearing for weeks: mule season is on in Metro Detroit. TRX test trucks reportedly wearing RHO camouflage. Whispered Banshee evaluations with a two-speed transmission. If Stellantis is juggling EV, Hurricane, and HEMI programs simultaneously, Detroit streets are the leakiest lab imaginable.
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The Front End That Doesn’t Add Up
The detail that keeps coming up: the nose isn’t Daytona (no R-wing) and isn’t the gas Charger either. That leaves three plausible reads:
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HEMI Charger mule with altered front sheetmetal to disguise cooling/packaging.
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Early Cuda hard points cloaked under Charger quarters.
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Short-wheelbase coupe variant (Cuda-like) sharing a rear clip and glass with Charger while wearing a unique front.
Any of those would explain the mismatch between front and rear—and the taped badges.
“Will a HEMI Even Fit?” Yes.
We already measured a Charger Daytona engine bay against a Demon 170. The 6.2L supercharged HEMI clears. The “shock towers are too close” myth doesn’t hold up to a tape measure. If a Hellcat package drops in, 426-sized hardware is at least plausible—especially with that hood bump everyone noticed.
Is that bump camouflage, airflow, or pure packaging? Until someone gets a close photo, the safest conclusion is this: Dodge isn’t shaping extra hood for no reason.
Platform Clues: STLA Large Can Shrink
The STLA Large architecture underpinning Charger isn’t locked to limo length. Internally, it supports multiple wheelbases—think roughly 113–121 inches. The current Charger/Daytona sits up at 121 inches, i.e., Grand Cherokee L territory. That’s awesome for highway stability; it’s not ideal if you’re building a dragstrip animal or a Mustang fighter.
A Cuda-sized coupe in the 113–116 inch range would slot perfectly: smaller than the outgoing Challenger, larger than a Mustang, and far more nimble than the 121-inch Charger. If you wanted to hide that program while it’s early, you’d wrap it in Charger bodywork and keep moving.
Why a Smaller Coupe Makes Business Sense
Enthusiasts have been polite about Hurricane power, but the excitement needle jumps when someone whispers 392, Hellcat, or 426. A lighter, shorter coupe with big-cube HEMI options would immediately become Dodge’s halo ICE car—and it wouldn’t cannibalize a larger four-door Charger. Two different tools for two different jobs.
Add in the current emissions/penalty landscape and the brand’s recent comments about building what customers actually want, and the playbook writes itself: launch the flexible platform; follow with high-emotion V8 variants to electrify showrooms.
Cuda vs. HEMI Charger: Read the Tea Leaves
Spotters keep describing a two-door silhouette, a different face, taped badges, and that hood. Couple that with the community’s tape-measure proof that HEMI fits and TK’s bounty for photos + sound, and the most reasonable interpretation is Dodge is heat-soaking HEMI packages right now—either in a Charger test shell or an early Cuda-length mule.
If a 426-style hero motor is in the cards, a hood like that is exactly what you’d expect to see early: airflow, clearance, and plausibly deniable camouflage.
What to Watch For Next
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Wheelbase tell-tales: a shorter door cut and tighter rear gap would scream “coupe.”
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Cooling clues: intercooler/heat-exchanger shadows behind the lower grille.
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Exhaust geometry: different tip shapes or spacing than today’s Charger mules.
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Audio: a supercharger whine or deep-pulse idle would settle half this debate in five seconds.
If you’re local, stay legal and safe, but keep your camera handy around CTC, Chelsea, and the usual proving-loop corridors. One clean three-quarter shot will answer months of questions.
The Bottom Line
Whether we just glimpsed a HEMI Charger or a Cuda-sized coupe hiding under Charger panels, the signal is the same: V8 Mopar is not done. A black prototype with a unique face and a purposeful hood bump isn’t an accident; it’s a message. The Brotherhood of Muscle asked for firepower. From the looks of Detroit this week, Dodge is loading the next volley.
