Despite being the biggest of the Big Three’s muscle car offerings, the Dodge Challenger remains the only one of the trio without a supercharged version. So despite being offered with an incredibly-powerful, 480 horsepower 6.4 liter HEMI engine, the big Mopar finds itself outgunned by the likes of the Shelby GT500 and the Camaro ZL1.

But that is all likely to change very soon, as we’ve heard a number of rumors that a supercharged version of the Challenger SRT8 is in the works. AutoCar heard the same rumors, and recently took pictures of what appears to be a supercharged “Hellcat” Challenger doing extreme heat testing in Death Valley.

Several supercharged prototypes were caught testing in the hottest place on Earth, and while they weren’t heavily camouflaged, engineers made sure to hide the important bits. Some camo hides what we assume is a new lower air intake, and a new exhaust design could hint at a looks refresh for the 2015 Challenger as well.

The supercharged version of the HEMI V8 should be good for well over 600 horsepower, though to compete with the ZL1 and GT500 it’ll probably need closer to 650 ponies to make up for its extra weight. Then there’s the question of the Challenger replacement, which should be coming in the next few years. If Chrysler is really ready to replace the Challenger, why give it this big power boost?

Is it a fond farewell, like the 2013-14 Shelby GT500, or an indication that the current model is here for at least a little longer? We likely won’t find out until next year, when the supercharged Challenger is set to make its world debut.