- SRT built high-performance vehicles for Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and other brands
- Parent company Stellantis is bringing it back
Tim Kuniskis suddenly has a lot of jobs.
That’s a little strange, as he retired last May. But retirement didn’t work for him. Kuniskis lasted barely six months out of the job market before returning to his role as CEO of Ram.
Yesterday, parent company Stellantis announced that Kuniskis will lead all its North American brands. The move gives him a voice in the direction of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Maserati in addition to his role at the truckmaker. And his first act will be to bring back an old, familiar name.
Tim Kuniskis, you see, likes powerful engines. He’s going to resurrect the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division that once built high-performance versions of Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles.
About SRT
- From 1989 to 2021, SRT built everything from Viper supercars to quicker economy cars
The SRT division traces its start to the launch of the Dodge Viper. Organized in 1989, an internal project called “Team Viper” took on several names before settling on SRT.
Between 1989 and 2021, it launched high-performance versions of vehicles under the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands.
Think special-edition Vipers. Think V10-powered SRT-10 Ram trucks. Think Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Think Dodge Neon SRT-4. OK, maybe Dodge would rather you not think about that last one.
The division officially closed in 2021, but its name still appears on a few high-powered products. Dodge used the moniker on its fastest-ever gas-powered muscle car, the 1,025-horsepower Challenger SRT Demon 170, even though the official SRT team was mothballed at the time.
It also graces several special editions of the current Dodge Durango.
What to Expect From SRT
- The company hasn’t said much, but we expect an emphasis on gas-powered cars
Stellantis hasn’t said what the new/old division will work on. But, in a Kuniskis-narrated video, the company says it’s hiring engineers to “stop being quiet and get loud again.”
A press release says only that the new SRT team will “will deliver vehicles that push the boundaries of power, aerodynamics, handling and technology, on both the street and the track, ensuring enthusiasts get the power, precision and passion they expect.”
They may well be old-fashioned gasoline-powered monsters. Kuniskis was reportedly the driving force behind the recent decision to bring back the Hemi V8 engine, which was nearly retired late last year.
Ironically, the quickest vehicle in Dodge history is electric. The current Challenger Daytona “electric muscle car” gets to 60 mph faster than even the Demon 170. But it has earned, at best, a lukewarm reception from the Dodge faithful.
Meanwhile, a bill recently passed by the U.S. Senate would end all enforcement of mpg standards, theoretically freeing an automaker to build high-powered gasoline engines without fear of fines for their pollution.