Halloween is a fun time for many of us. It’s like the official gateway into the fall season, even though it starts getting cooler in a lot of places well before October 31.
Colors change from greens and yellows to oranges and reds. Kids are out and about making or buying costumes to go out and get some candy at the neighbor’s doorsteps.
Me? I don’t do any of that. I’m busy thinking of ways to incorporate cars into Halloween.
It may seem silly… and it really is. But, it’s fun for me, and I managed to produce yet another totally useless piece of meaningless, yet entertaining, literature. So, if you’re able to tolerate a little foolishness and you have a few minutes to spare, go ahead and read on if you dare.
Rolls Royce Ghost, Phantom, and Wraith:
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
The only thing really scary about these cars is the price. Each provides unparalleled luxury for their buyers. What more would you expect? It’s a Rolls Royce! Even the most inexpensive models start well above $300,000.
The Phantom tops out the line as the largest and most expensive. The Wraith is the slightly smaller and less expensive brother to the Phantom. The Ghost is the “sportiest” of the bunch and is a two-door coupe.
All use an enormous V12 engine sourced from BMW, but none abuse that power. Rolls Royce power is a different kind of power. None are fast. All are still hand-built to this day, and each model is the epitome of total comfort, luxury, and elegance.
Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat:
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
We go from British royalty to the backwoods of America where tractor pulls and drag racing is the most popular Sunday afternoon event. The Hellcat siblings, the Charger and Challenger, are both the hootin’ ‘n hollerin’ American hillbillies ready to devour the most inexperienced of drivers.
I’m not entirely sure what a Hellcat actually is, but it definitely makes the point that these cars are nothing to be messed with. Both use a 707 horsepower V8 engine roughly the size of a small country.
Recently, there’s been an addition to the Hellcat family with the Challenger Hellcat Redeye. It ups the horsepower to just barely below 800, a truly formidable number for a legal street car. Driven at its limit, the Hellcats have the looks, the power, and the ability to give anyone nightmares after just one drive, even if you don’t wait until Halloween to drive one.
Dodge Demon:
Photo: Courtesy of Car and Driver
As if the Hellcat models weren’t enough, Dodge came out with their Demon in 2018. It’s essentially a race-ready, Hellcat drag car that can make up to 840 horsepower with the right fuel, and it comes with tires that are barely road legal.
The demon will actually do wheelies off the line if everything is set up correctly. Don’t let the name fool you though. It may have gobs of power at its disposal, but many who have tested the car actually comment that it’s not as scary or difficult to handle on the road as one might think.
Still, it’s an impressive and menacing car at the very least, and there are those who can’t help be a little scared by what it has to offer.
Chevrolet/Hennessey Camaro Exorcist:
Photo: Courtesy of Hennessey Performance
Naturally, when you come out with a car called the Demon, your competitor has to come out with one called the Exorcist. Though it’s technically a Camaro, Hennessey used the Demon’s reveal as motivation to unleash their own version of a rogue vehicle.
Hennessey is similar to Shelby or Roush. They take an ordinary vehicle like a Ford Mustang, Chevy Silverado, or Chevy Camaro, spruce it up a bit, and make it a mindlessly insane machine. The Hennessey Camaro Exorcist is even more mindless.
840 horsepower is child’s play. The Exorcist has 1000. While the Demon only does a claimed 199 mile per hour top speed, the Exorcist will exceed 215. It isn’t really a coincidence that Hennessey gave the Exorcist its name. It does exactly what it says it will do quite happily to any Demon owner.
AMC Gremlin:
A far cry from most other vehicles on this list, the AMC Gremlin hasn’t been in production for 40 years. It was America’s answer to the small, economical vehicles starting to come to the states from overseas. It was a good thing too. Shortly after it was born, the fuel crisis struck and Americans had a small car to answer.
It wasn’t that good though…
Named one of the ugliest cars ever made, it was also not the best handling car, even for its small size. Today, it has a cult following and a strong collectible status. The name Gremlin was very appropriate, so it doesn’t fit on this list as a monster, but more as a well-costumed bystander.
Dodge Spirit:
Photo: Courtesy of Consumer Guide Automotive
Another car that’s wildly outclassed on this list, the Spirit was a giant block of “blah.” At least the Gremlin was half interesting despite its rather… unique appearance. The Spirit was a brick that had wheels and moved a little bit.
Later in its production, Dodge offered an R/T trim with a larger 224 horsepower engine and sporty appearance. It wasn’t that slow and could go from 0-60 in about 6 seconds.
All in all, the Spirit was primarily built as a family sedan with ample space for most families. Dodge offered an alternative for enthusiasts with the R/T trim, but the Spirit never set the world on fire. Just like its name would imply, it just faded into the pages of history as just another small piece of the 1990’s.
It would be a lot more fun, and a lot scarier to actually drive some of these cars in person, especially on Halloween night. Sadly, you or I can’t do that with most of these cars. That’s OK though. Now you have a list of the spookiest cars to try and find next time you venture outside.
