Move over Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, as Dodge is back with a vengeance via its most powerful muscle car offering – the Challenger SRT Demon. The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon holds a number of records broken that makes the other muscle cars look tame.
The biggest piece goes to what’s underneath the bonnet, where the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine claims to be the world’s most powerful factory production V8. The heavily revised mill deploys 840 hp and 1044 Nm of torque, 133 ponies more than the Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Drive is delivered to the rear wheels via an upgraded eight-speed automatic.
The additional horses come from the larger supercharger and an extra dual-stage fuel pump. The mean looking Air-Grabber bonnet scoop, by all means, is not merely for cosmetic purposes. Instead, the scoop, together with driver-side Air-Catcher headlight and an inlet near the wheel liner, are tasked to supply cool air to the engine.
Being a drag machine means it takes cooling pretty seriously. With the help of the Power Chiller feature, an air-conditioning refrigerant is diverted to a chiller unit mounted by the cooler pump to reduce the supercharger’s temperatures. The After-Run Chiller feature ensures the coolant pump and engine cooling fan are running when the engine is shut down. TransBrake is available to maximise the launch by locking the transmission shaft without overwhelming the brakes.
Being lightweight is essential for a drag-purpose machine, so all the items deemed unnecessary including rear seats and carpets were removed. However, Dodge allows those items to be reinstated for just one dollar. Other items such as stereo, power sunroof, and ventilated leather seats can be optionally added.
Now here’s what everyone is waiting for, the performance. 0-100 km/h sprint is done in 2.3 seconds, making this the quickest production car in the world. It’s also a certified Guinness World Record holder by achieving the world’s first front-wheel lift in a production car at 2.92 feet (approximately 30 cm). Its quarter-mile (400m) drag completion time in 9.65 seconds means this car is deemed too fast by the American drag race governing body, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), thus it’s banned from competing in drag races. What a shame.
Only 3,300 units of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will be made for the United States and Canada with deliveries beginning in third quarter of 2017.
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