840hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon revealed
Built to be king of the strip!
Drag racing isn't all about massive power figures though, as weight also comes into it - and the engineers have stripped just over 90kg from the car by removing the front and rear passenger seats, the sound system, the carpets and a lot of the sound deadening. Parking sensors have been eliminated too (who wants to reverse a drag car?) and switching to all-aluminium four-piston calipers and lightweight wheels has removed precious further kilos. Or pounds, rather. There is option to buy back the seats and boot carpet for $1 each.
After those incredible drag runs, the SRT Power Chiller helps redirect refrigerant from the air conditioning unit to cool the charge air cooler and as soon as the engine is turned off, the After-Run Chiller will keep the cooling fan and the low-temperature circuit coolant pump running.
The styling of the Demon is wilder than the Hellcat with the largest bonnet scoop of any production car and wider - much wider - arches to fit the tyres. The Demon Crate is said to fully unleash the potential of the car by calibrating the engine for high-octane fuel (100+), adding a conical air filter and those special skinny tyres, as well as a host of Demon-branded track tools with a foam storage bag.
3,300 Demons will be produced with only 300 heading to Canada and the rest staying in the US; best get friendly with your importers if you want to get your hands on one!
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They get round a lot of the road legal stuff by the cars being delivered with a box of go-even-faster parts in the boot
The article references the "Demon Crate" which gives you the narrow front wheels, torque wrench, impact wrench, trolley jack, cone filter, race gas map, and includes various trim covering plates for removing things like the passenger mirror, boot carpet etc.
Drag radials are standard on the rear though.
ETA: AFAIK, the demon crate that comes with the car, doesn't come with a parachute, harnesses or roll cage - those are the key bits that make it fall foul of the NHRA / MSA regs at present (anything quicker than 9.99/135mph).
"Too fast for the drag strip - the 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon"
If you're still okay to go with all that, more power to you.
So what am I saying? The Demon is a genius piece of marketing. Utter genius. It gets to position the brand and the car at the pinnacle (while many hypercars are being launched) and clearly shows they know their core market and buyer. Genius. Will they sell them all? I suspect they will sell twice over, but won't to keep the values up. Will it be popular? Even with the restrictions on NHRA run strips? Oh yes. Its the ultimate bragging rights car with a warranty.
Do I want one? I think so. Personally, I like the Charger with its understated body and the Hellcat engine. Seen a couple of them and love the idea of black with black wheels and the normal exhaust. Ok, so MPG is terrible, but its one hell of a fast car. Bikers are learning to spot them now! Says it all. But one thing I would say though, neither the Hellcat versions of the Charger or Challenger or the Demon have great reputations for handling. They are brutish, simple and a a hoot to drive, but not particularly sophisticated.
As an alternative though, while not to everyones taste, Cadillac (actually GM) has perfected the magna-ride variable shocks in their cars and get very wide praise for the CTS-V. Lower power, but more usable and less prone to spinning wheels at all situations. I never thought I would say this, but the more technically advanced and usable Cadillac seems to be the more sensible option. Though brutal stuff appeals, I fear its a one trick pony - a fantastic trick at that, but you are going to have to live with it and I think it would eventually drive me insane.
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