Supercharged Cop Car ~ 1968 Dodge Coronet Hellcat Swap

707HP Hellcat Powered Dodge Coronet Cop Car
707HP Hellcat Powered Dodge Coronet Cop Car

From the Hot Rod Power Tour 2019

via Mad Scientist Garage

The Hot Rod Power Tour is well known for bringing in some pretty wild hot rods, this Hellcat-powered ’68 Coronet Cop Car built by House of Mouse Racing is no exception. Veteran builder and owner Paul Terlosky built this nightmare version of the Bluesmobile specifically for the 25th Anniversary of Power Tour.

A car that started life as a bland 4 door Coronet 500 has turned into more thumbs up and double-takes from kids and adults alike than he ever expected.

This newly famous interceptor began life as a Canadian constable’s bland daily driver. When the car’s working counterpart, a factory 440 police car, was retired from duty in the 80’s the cleaner daily driver received every bit of drivetrain, lighting, and radio equipment to make it ‘the new Bluesmobile.’

707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car on the Road
707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car on the Road

The car underwent a series of restorations to the body, interior, and drivetrain through the next couple of decades, getting paraded around the country as a nostalgia piece. Terlosky finally acquired the car as a cheap drivetrain donor for a much rarer Coronet Drag Pack Convertible- that’s where things got interesting.

Terlosky got a good deal on a Hellcat motor for his ’70 Cuda project, and as he likes to explain his builds, “We do something stupid every year.” Terlosky is a veteran of Power Tour having attempted 6 long hauls in his 15 years of attendance, and wanted to make a splash for the 25th anniversary.

707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car ~ Engine Compartment
707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car ~ Engine Compartment

Realizing there wasn’t a chance of completing the Cuda in time, his eyes fell on the Coronet 500 shell. Still sporting the all the Barney Fife gear from ’68, Terlosky cooked up a plan to build something a little more interesting than a run-of-the-mill RestoMod.

As if the concept of a Hellcat swapped drag racing cop car on meats wasn’t crazy enough, the build began just 2 months before the start of Power Tour. Using an Altercation disc brake K member, one-off ladder suspension, and a transmission adapter to run a GM 4L85e from Gearstar, the Power Tour Patrol combines 707hp with all the steel and aero of a 1960’s muscle car, still managing 20mpg cruising down the highway in style.

707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car
707HP Hellcat Powered Coronet Cop Car ~ Rear View

Terlosky threw a tune in the car with Hemituner Performance, logged a few shakedown miles, and left to show off his monstrosity on Hot Rod Power Tour. Before long a guy who ‘just builds cars’ found himself signing autographs and shaking hands in the midway of every stop on the Tour.

Terlosky and his rig managed to attract more than a little attention wherever they went, with a little help from his ‘officers’. It was decided early on to put the attention to even better use and Terlosky had some custom ‘tickets’ made to issue to eager recipients for donations to the Shop with a Cop charity during their appearances on Power Tour, Hotrod Supernats, Hemi Nationals, Roadkill Nights, and future events.

707HP Hellcat Powered '68 Dodge Coronet Cop Car Burnout
707HP Hellcat Powered ’68 Dodge Coronet Cop Car Burnout

After a few weeks of drawing crowds away from Bugattis and custom McLarens at car shows, the car was invited to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour for the chance at becoming an actual Hot Wheels Toy. While it didn’t bring home the win, Terlosky and his Coronet got a lot of thumbs up, handshakes, and new fans. Seeing the reaction it got, the idea of pulling the motor for his Cuda was nixed.

Terlosky’s backup constable build is proof that 4 doors and a little ingenuity can still be more fun for everybody than following the beaten path, the only question is ‘what he’s going to do with it now?’ Details are being worked out to put Power Tour Patrol on display in the Summit showroom in Tallmadge this December and later to auction at Barrett Jackson along with a couple of his other high-end RestoMods.

Keep your eyes glued to the auction block and House of Mouse Racing to see where this one of a kind car goes and what Terlosky cooks up next…

707HP Hellcat Powered 1968 Dodge Coronet Cop Car Build Breakdown

Hot Rod Magazine Hellcat Cop Car Footage on the Hot Rod Power Tour

Hellcat Cop Car Burnout at Roadkill Nights

A proper burnout by the Power Tour Patrol at Roadkill Nights…

Story and photos by Jon Bunger Mad Scientist Garage