The Bilster Berg is the 2.7-mile secret manufacturer’s testing paradise in Germany, and the Charger Hellcat takes on its tough elevation changes.
DriveTribe on YouTube have many automotive accomplishments under their belts – and putting 18,000 miles on a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat long-termer is one of them.
Alas, their time in the UK with the American V8 is drawing to a close, but they have one more challenge for the muscle car: a road trip from England to Germany, where it will then make some hot laps on a very cold, slippery and challenging racetrack.
Here’s what happens when the Hellcat meets the Nurburgring’s unknown smaller sibling; the Bilster Berg.
This Is The Toughest Track In Germany By Elevation
To reach Germany, the video briefly documents the crew’s use of the Eurotunnel – a sub-marine rail tunnel operator that connects the UK with France and the rest of Europe via a high-speed train. Both passenger trains and car/truck trains allow a fast crossing between London and Paris in 2 hours, or just 35 minutes from UK highway to French highway using the car train.
They’re headed to Bilster Berg, a 2.7-mile track in West Germany, a historic British ammunition storage facility-turned secret automotive proving ground.
Some of the biggest manufacturers send their cars here to get shaken down, tested and refined on the course’s tight turns, high-speed corners and mega elevation changes.
The Nurburgring Nordschleife’s 20-mile maximum length is almost 10 times longer, but the Berg is a concentrated version without features like the super-long straight portion of the former, replaced with features like the 26-degree drops and ramps in this site.
The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Is Also Good On Corners
Unfortunately the weather turns and rain and snow become a feature – but this could be a chance for the Hellcat to show how well it handles 700+ hp, a slippery surface and a challenging twisty playground.
Fortunately, the muscle car stereotype of being fast only in a straight line is a thing of the past, and some new tires on the American machine help the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 put down its power and prevent the car from skidding out on the watery surface.
All in all, the review of the track and car shows that the track is a formidable foe yet the Dodge Charger appears to make light work of the undulating circuit; highlighting the car’s agility and composure. You can rent the track which comes with a restaurant, garages for prepping and tinkering with cars, and of course the whole 2.7-mile fun factory.
The Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat comes with 717 hp and 650 lb-ft as standard, but the Redeye version offers 797 hp / 707 hp for maximum drag-racing ability.
