By Noah Patterson
Drag racers and car enthusiasts everywhere, rejoice. This past April, Dodge announced the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon at the New York International Auto Show and is now claiming record after record.
Built with a focus on functional, yet drag-oriented design, the new Challenger SRT Demon was crafted in order to be lightning fast. In fact, the Demon’s 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8 engine propels the car’s 770 pounds-feet of torque alongside its up to 840 horsepower. These statistics mean the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon is not only the most powerful muscle car ever built but also contains the highest horsepower V-8 production car engine produced to date.
Built with a focus on functional, yet drag-oriented design, the new Challenger SRT Demon was crafted in order to be lightning fast. In fact, the Demon’s 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8 engine propels the car’s 770 pounds-feet of torque alongside its up to 840 horsepower. These statistics mean the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon is not only the most powerful muscle car ever built but also contains the highest horsepower V-8 production car engine produced to date.
With the 6.2-liter HEMI® Demon V-8 engine under its hood, this new Challenger can achieve 0-60 mph in a mere 2.3 seconds. Even more impressive is the Challenger’s title as the fastest quarter-mile production car. This means that the Challenger SRT Demon can travel a quarter of a mile in just 9.65 seconds, verified by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). This is so unprecedented, the NHRA has actually banned the car from the drag strip — for now — due to its high speed.
Dodge is hoping to make a statement with their new Challenger: “With Demon, our goal was to build a car that would tattoo the Dodge logo into the subconscious of the general market, beyond even our loyal enthusiasts,” Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars — Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America said. “To do so, we had to set records that have never been set before, do more than has ever been done before . . . The result: an 840-horsepower, 9-second muscle car, unlike anything that has ever come before it.”
Other records the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon has claimed include the first-ever front wheel lift in a production car, lasting for 2.92 feet, verified by Guinness World Records; in other words, when operating from a standing start, the Demon literally “pops a wheelie.”
Another first is the Challenger’s lack of a front passenger seat, making this car the first ever production vehicle opting to remove the seat in order to decrease weight and optimize speed. Of course, consumers who would like to purchase the Demon for street-use rather than the drag strip can opt to add the front passenger seat — as well as other deleted options such as the rear seats and trunk carpeting kit — for only $1 each.
Regardless of the way consumers choose to customize the car, the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon comes with one full-day session at Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving. So, with countless firsts, endless customization options, and even performance driving lessons, what’s stopping you from giving the Demon a try? With 3,000 vehicles expected to be built for sale in the United States, your chance to own a piece of automobile and drag race history could begin this fall.
Dodge is hoping to make a statement with their new Challenger: “With Demon, our goal was to build a car that would tattoo the Dodge logo into the subconscious of the general market, beyond even our loyal enthusiasts,” Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars — Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA North America said. “To do so, we had to set records that have never been set before, do more than has ever been done before . . . The result: an 840-horsepower, 9-second muscle car, unlike anything that has ever come before it.”
Other records the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon has claimed include the first-ever front wheel lift in a production car, lasting for 2.92 feet, verified by Guinness World Records; in other words, when operating from a standing start, the Demon literally “pops a wheelie.”
Another first is the Challenger’s lack of a front passenger seat, making this car the first ever production vehicle opting to remove the seat in order to decrease weight and optimize speed. Of course, consumers who would like to purchase the Demon for street-use rather than the drag strip can opt to add the front passenger seat — as well as other deleted options such as the rear seats and trunk carpeting kit — for only $1 each.
Regardless of the way consumers choose to customize the car, the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon comes with one full-day session at Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving. So, with countless firsts, endless customization options, and even performance driving lessons, what’s stopping you from giving the Demon a try? With 3,000 vehicles expected to be built for sale in the United States, your chance to own a piece of automobile and drag race history could begin this fall.