Dodge suspends orders for 707-hp Hellcat muscle cars

Updated MAR 20, 2015 4:23p ET

Dodge is hitting the brakes on the “Hellcat” versions of the Challenger and Charger, suspending orders of the 707-horsepower muscle machines due to overwhelming demand. The two share the title of “most powerful American production car in history,” and boast top speeds of 199 mph and 204 mph, respectively.

The automaker was caught off guard by interest in the pair since they were released late last year, and has already received orders for twice as many as it planned to build for 2015. The shortage has led to 50 percent markups on the $60,000-plus by some dealers, while others have reportedly taken dozens of deposits on cars they could take years to deliver, leading Dodge to warn customers of what it called unscrupulous behavior.

Now, it wants to get its house in order.

“Due to unprecedented demand for the 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats, we are temporarily restricting orders while we validate current orders that are in the system,” the company tells FoxNews.com.

There’s no official word on when the order books will be reopened, but according to a source at AllParNews.com it could be August before Dodge gets caught up.

Dodge suspends orders for 707-hp Hellcat muscle cars