Thursday 31st May 2018

Last off the line Viper and Demon go to auction

Well, who wouldn't fancy a 1,485hp Dodge duo for their collection?

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So just like that, the Dodge Demon is done. The craziest Challenger ever made was limited to one model year and 3,300 units, both of which have now been fulfilled. But what to do with the last one? After all, the end of production for an 840hp muscle car is pretty significant.

Well, what you do if you're Dodge is you sell that last car at auction; furthermore, not content with one last-of-the-line lout going under the hammer, the Demon will be sold alongside the last Viper as one lot. So that's nearly 15 litres of swept capacity and the best part of 1,500hp in two iconic cars, and one chance to buy them as a pair. Bidding, you imagine, could be busy...

Both cars will be Viper Red (the Challenger will be hand painted soon at its 'upfit center'), paying homage to a quarter of a century of Dodge V10 heritage that's now coming to an end. Both also feature what Dodge is describing as "one-of-a-kind VIN instrument panel badging", while the Viper also includes some carbon accents and black leather to complete the original Viper RT/10 look.

The cars are being offered as "The Ultimate Last Chance" sale, part of Barrett-Jackson's Northeast auction on June 20-23. As for what they might actually make, surely the sky's the limit; after all, these are two legendary American muscle cars, being sold in Connecticut for the United Way charity. For some context, the very first Challenger Hellcat - VIN0001 - sold for $1.65m back in 2014. Which is a heck of a lot. Four years later and with the next iteration of Hellcat, plus the last ever Viper, it's easy to imagine a tremendous amount being paid for pair. More news to follow after the auction...

[oilit]

the cynic in me (which can be a big part of me sometimes) thinks they have to throw the viper into the package as it's been sat on the shelf unsold for so long it's the only way to get rid of it ! (I realise this is probably far from reality).

Not really a yank tank fan, but I must admit I do like the look of the demon - shame the steering wheel is on the wrong side ...