03-04-2025
Westen Champlin's 4×4 Hellcat Challenger Goes Full Mayhem in Off-Road Debut
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious
Turning a Dodge Challenger Hellcat into an off-road rig might sound like madness, but for YouTube star and Kansas-based car builder Westen Champlin, that's just Tuesday.
Champlin recently debuted his one-of-a-kind 4×4 Hellcat Challenger—a lifted beast packing solid axles, a custom frame, 35-inch tires, and, of course, supercharged Hellcat power. After more than a year in the garage, the team took the mutant muscle car to Oklahoma's Crossbar Off-Road Park for its first real-world test. The results? Let's just say things escalated quickly.
'Handling was terrifying,' Champlin admitted after the first few shakedown runs. Even with a sway bar installed, the Challenger reportedly swayed like a cruise ship in a hurricane. 'We wanted something that would work… it works at trying to kill you,' he quipped.
The real disaster struck when Champlin shifted into four-wheel drive for the first time—only to have a locking hub break immediately. A hunch he'd previously joked about became an off-road reality. After limping back to get parts, Champlin hit the highway for a repair run, where the steering system decided to disassemble itself at 65 mph. 'You haven't lived until your off-road Hellcat's steering falls off at highway speed,' he said.
Things didn't get better. Once back at the park, the team sent the car into a deep mud hole, where it promptly stalled. 'I forgot it breathes through the headlight,' Champlin said, later discovering the engine had developed a worrying tick. 'We might've blown up the off-road Hellcat,' he sighed.
Despite the chaos, Champlin sees it as a win. 'We're testing to see what's not good,' he said. 'And now we know. A lot.'
The wild 4×4 build may be battered, but it's not beaten. As Westen put it, 'We learned what to fix—and we're definitely not done.'
