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?

---

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 ...

[tgx]

They will sell for stupid money to speculators.

[HardtopManual]

I used to love the Viper as a teenager, but what have they done to it? It looks like a st 550 Maranello replica.

[dazwalsh]

HardtopManual said:

I used to love the Viper as a teenager, but what have they done to it? It looks like a st 550 Maranello replica.

The original was the best, still looks amazing today

[Matt Harper]

dazwalsh said:

The original was the best, still looks amazing today

This was the original - and no oil-painting...

[anonymous-user]

^ looks fking awesome, rather than beautiful

[DegsyE39]

Matt Harper said:

This was the original - and no oil-painting...

Pretty bad angle though that.. i admit its no iso grifo but id hardly call it ugly especially compared to the new one
fk me it looks like someones abortive attempt at fitting a set of lights from one of those (hideous) Ferrari California things

I'd tap the original..

Edited by DegsyE39 on Friday 1st June 04:12

[Filibuster]

sleepera6 said:

^ looks fking awesome, rather than beautiful

Very well put!

[Matt Harper]

The roof on the original was something of an afterthought - 400hp was nowt to write home about either.

[vsonix]

Matt Harper said:

400hp was nowt to write home about either.

At the time it was considered a lot for a road car, though. Considering they were known for being a handful to drive it's quite possible that 400bhp was considered the limit of safety for the average driver to have without killing themselves. From what I've read, the engine in the MK1 Viper is good for maybe 800 safe HP at the wheels on stock internals with bolt on turbo or s/c kits, so plenty more power to be had if 400 isn't enough.

Looking at the pics above, I'm not sure if it's aged well. And I prefer the look of the hard top to the roadster as well. It looks a lot better resolved with a roof. Agreed, the new one is fugly though. It looks like a cross between a Corvette and something Dick Dastardly would drive.

[hondansx]

The original looks so bloody cool. Like a real life Hot Wheels cars. They are truly awful to drive though! Did an experience in the later one (like the blue one) together with a 993, Esprit, NSX and 355 and it was last by some margin in the driving stakes.

[Matt Harper]

vsonix said:

Matt Harper said:

400hp was nowt to write home about either.

At the time it was considered a lot for a road car, though. Considering they were known for being a handful to drive it's quite possible that 400bhp was considered the limit of safety for the average driver to have without killing themselves.

At the time? Dodge were mass-producing 425hp road cars in the mid 1960's.

[anonymous-user]

hondansx said:

The original looks so bloody cool. Like a real life Hot Wheels cars. They are truly awful to drive though! Did an experience in the later one (like the blue one) together with a 993, Esprit, NSX and 355 and it was last by some margin in the driving stakes.

I couldn't disagree more. My first job was in competitor vehicle evaluation in Detroit just after the GTS came out. The RT10 was a pig but the original GTS was a great drive. It was like a great big friendly dog that just couldn't fail to put a huge smile on your face. In the metal its curves are outrageously gorgeous too. I've never driven an NSX but I'd have a Viper GTS over the others you list every time (993 RS/GT aside). ETA the Viper's interior was seriously shoddy though.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 7th June 18:13

[Exige77]

Matt Harper said:

At the time? Dodge were mass-producing 425hp road cars in the mid 1960's.

How many 425hp road cars did they mass produce in the mid 1960’s then ?

[mrfunex]

Matt Harper said:

The roof on the original was something of an afterthought - 400hp was nowt to write home about either.

I know, right? You can get a Golf R to 400bhp...

Totally agree about the roof though.

I drove an RT/10 for a day a couple of years ago. Clunky gearbox, poor driving position, not great ergonomics for me at 6’2”, slightly vague steering, poor visibility, poor quality interior.... but just look at it!! I’ve wanted one since they were released, and I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

[Matt Harper]

Exige77 said:

Matt Harper said:

At the time? Dodge were mass-producing 425hp road cars in the mid 1960's.

How many 425hp road cars did they mass produce in the mid 1960’s then ?

Between 1966-1971 - just shy of 11,000 426ci hemi.
If we include 440 six-pak production over the same period - stated 390hp, but generally agreed to to be conservatively 400hp minimum, that number is approximately 140,000.

Edited by Matt Harper on Friday 8th June 02:05

[unsprung]

the pair sold for a relatively modest $1,000,000

https://carbuzz.com/news/final-dodge-challenger-de...

(the link includes video of the actual moment of the auction win)

[Matt Harper]

Demon production may be over - but Dodge continue to deliver - wide-body Challengers offered in more trim levels and Hellcat Red Eye offering very near Demon levels of power in a far more refined package.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-dodge-chal...

[anonymous-user]

Matt Harper said:

Demon production may be over - but Dodge continue to deliver - wide-body Challengers offered in more trim levels and Hellcat Red Eye offering very near Demon levels of power in a far more refined package.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-dodge-chal...

The hellcat just looks soooo good

[vsonix]

fblm said:

Matt Harper said:

Demon production may be over - but Dodge continue to deliver - wide-body Challengers offered in more trim levels and Hellcat Red Eye offering very near Demon levels of power in a far more refined package.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-dodge-chal...

The hellcat just looks soooo good

I'm a little disappointed they didn't go for a more box-flare approach. But, it does look nice.

I think Dodge are missing a trick for the worldwide market. If they made something that looks basically exactly the same, with the same powerplants, but a touch smaller - much like oldskool Aussie Holdens and Fords compared to GM and Ford's USA cars, they'd be onto a really good thing. These are awesome vehicles but the heft of them limits potential sales volume. Imagine if BMW made an M5 but no M3 or M2