Dodge has dropped the Street and Racing Technology motherlode on the eve of the Chicago Auto Show and first out of the gate is the 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8.

@funkmasterflex

As with anything birthed from Chrysler’s in-house tuning division, the Charger SRT8 is all about the engine, so the transformation begins with the new 6.4-liter HEMI V8 putting out 465 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque – a boost of some 80 lb-ft over the old 6.1-liter mill. That torquey wave comes on at 2,900 rpm and Dodge claims that with the fitment of its Fuel Saver tech, allowing the engine to run on four cylinders when its not under load, fuel economy will improve, although Dodge isn’t saying how much.

Chrysler’s W5A580 five-speed automatic transmission backs up the HEMI, and you can select your own gears by either slapping the AutoStick or thumbing the steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters.

All that adds up to an estimated top speed of 175 mph, a 0-60 mph time in the high fours and a quarter-mile run deep into the 12s.

In addition to the five-spoke, 20-inch forged aluminum and polished wheels, the SRT crew saw fit to equip the SRT8 with an adaptive damping suspension with Auto and Sport settings that process speed, steering angle, brake pressure, throttle application and lateral acceleration. Brakes are sized 14.2-inches up front and 13.8-inches in the rear, with a new front fascia, LED taillamps and four-inch dual exhausts rounding out the exterior mods. And naturally, the interior isn’t left out in the cold, with a flat-bottom steering wheel, heavily bolstered seats and a 900-watt, 19-speaker audio system courtesy of Harmon Kardon.