What Is The Piece That Sticks Out Of Dom's 1970 Charger R/T Hood In Fast & Furious?
While the Fast & Furious series is full of souped-up Japanese Domestic Market cars with bright graphics, Dom (played by Vin Diesel) at one point drives something right out of the classic muscle car era. The black 1970 Charger R/T is hard to forget once it appears on screen, especially considering the massive scoop protruding out of the hood. It was an Enderle Buzzard Catcher scoop and part of a root's supercharger. When comparing twin screw vs roots vs centrifugal superchargers, each one accomplishes the same task, with unique pros and cons. A supercharger forces more air into the engine and increases performance output. One of the eye-catching elements of the scoop on Dom's Charger is the butterfly valve design, which opens and closes with throttle use.
According to a YouTube video by Craig Lieberman, a senior producer on the movie, in the scene where audiences get a look under the hood, the filmmakers borrowed a Chuck Taylor Racing engine for that one scene and then returned it. That engine was built using a late '50s 392 Hemi that was modified into 445 cubic inches and included a Mooneyham 6-71 supercharger. It was even revealed that during the driving scenes, what audiences are hearing from Dom's muscle car is actually a completely different V8 Hemi engine than the one shown in the movie. This is relevant because the very prominent supercharger isn't producing the signature whine you would normally hear.
The film car versus what was actually driven
In Fast and Furious, Dom's Charger is said to have 900 horsepower and achieved a 9-second quarter-mile time. While a time like that may seem possible, especially with the brawny supercharger on display, it's purely fiction. Only a handful of exotic, high-performance cars can get under 10 seconds in the quarter mile, with the fastest being a 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach, with a 9.2-second time, according to Motor Trend.
Obviously, the film crew couldn't use something with nearly 1000 horsepower for shooting, as it would be more dangerous and difficult to control under throttle. So the car you're seeing during the movie is actually sporting a 440 Magnum or a smaller 318 engine, depending on the scene.
To shatter the magic of the movie even further, other than the close-up shots in Dom's garage, where the Chuck Tayler Racing engine was used, the iconic scoop is nothing but a visual accessory. The scoop doesn't actually enhance the film car's performance, but it still looks really cool.