SpeedKore's Carbon-Fiber Charger Shakes the Foundations of American Muscle
You hear it before you see it—a supercharged snarl that vibrates your chest cavity and triggers something primal in your gearhead soul. Then it appears. Black, sleek, aggressive. A shadow cut from carbon fiber and sculpted into the silhouette of a 1970 Dodge Charger. They call it “Evolution,” and make no mistake—this is not a resto, not a clone, not a tribute. It’s a revolution with a throttle.
Brought to life by the boundary-pushing minds at SpeedKore Performance Group in Grafton, Wisconsin, Evolution takes everything you thought you knew about muscle cars and recasts it—literally—in carbon. This is no showpiece with a crate motor and a shiny paint job. This is a full-blown reinterpretation of one of the most iconic shapes in American automotive history, reborn with aerospace-grade materials, motorsport-grade engineering, and enough horsepower to make the earth shift slightly on its axis.
Let’s start with the skin. Every inch of bodywork on Evolution is hand-laid carbon fiber: fenders, quarters, roof, doors, trunk, hood, bumpers—you name it. What SpeedKore achieved here is nothing short of sculptural. The clear-coated weave isn’t just for show; it saves hundreds of pounds compared to steel while flexing every inch of the shop’s composite mastery. And where the carbon stops, billet aluminum picks up—meticulously machined at SpeedKore’s facility to accent and function with surgical precision.
This isn’t SpeedKore’s first dance with the Charger. Their earlier build, Tantrum, made serious waves. But the goal with Evolution was different. This one had to be lighter, faster, smarter. It had to push the envelope so far it needed a passport. And it did—so much so that when it debuted at the 2018 SEMA Show, it walked away with the prestigious Goodguys Gold Award. From there, it exploded onto the scene, appearing in global media outlets and setting a new standard for what’s possible in the world of pro-touring muscle.
Inside, Evolution is as detailed as it is dangerous. The cabin echoes the Charger's original DNA but with a modern spine and high-tech heartbeat. A billet trussed transmission tunnel runs the length of the interior, supporting the bucket seat mounts and adding to the car’s cage-like rigidity. The dash, door panels, center console, and even the steering wheel are all SpeedKore one-offs—hand-fabricated and designed to be both functional and beautiful. Classic Instruments gauges provide analog charm, but everything else speaks the language of precision engineering.
Underneath, the car sits on a custom 4x2-inch steel box frame that was CAD-designed to cradle the beast within. The chassis is reinforced with a 14-point roll cage that ties the whole thing together like a championship race car. Penske 7500 series coilovers keep it planted at all four corners, while Brembo brakes—developed in collaboration with SpeedKore—bring the madness to a halt with six-piston calipers and 15-inch rotors up front, four-pistons out back. Even the fuel and oil lines are hidden inside the frame rails, a subtle nod to the obsessive craftsmanship that defines every square inch of this build.
Now, about that beast. Nestled between the fenders is Dodge’s 6.2-liter supercharged Demon engine—but this one has been poked, prodded, and provoked until it delivers a dyno-proven 966 rear-wheel horsepower. SpeedKore swapped out the pulley, bumped the fuel injectors, recalibrated the software, and topped it all off with a custom cold-air intake. Exhaust gases exit through stainless SpeedKore headers and SLP mufflers, and the whole setup is kept cool and lubricated with a Dailey Engineering dry sump system, an upgraded oil cooler, and a Saldana aluminum radiator.
A Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmits that raw fury to a carbon-fiber driveshaft and into a Strange 9-inch rear end, ensuring nothing gets lost in translation. It’s brutally effective. The kind of setup that doesn’t just threaten the asphalt—it rewrites it.
Rolling on HRE S101 wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport rubber—19s up front, 20s out back—Evolution isn’t just about jaw-dropping visuals. It’s about feel. It’s about balance. It’s about putting nearly 1,000 horsepower to the ground in a way that’s both surgical and savage.
With Evolution, SpeedKore hasn’t just built a car—they’ve created a benchmark. This Charger doesn't live in the past. It doesn't play by the old rules. It’s a glimpse into the future of American muscle: leaner, smarter, faster, and unapologetically bold.
Tantrum may have started the fire. But Evolution poured carbon-fiber gasoline on it.
