This has to be the ultimate expression of American muscle – the Dodge Challenger Demon. It goes more than a step further than the Hellcat and is every bit satanic as the name suggests. It is probably the first production car that can pop the front wheels every time you launch off a drag strip but it certainly is the world’s fastest accelerating car to 100kmph.
But this isn’t ‘just’ an extension of the Hellcat like many people would presume. That’s because, except for the engine block, almost half of the engine components have been replaced. The 6.2-litre Hemi V8 engine now develops a whopping 840bhp of power – the highest power output from a production V8 engine so far. Dodge engineers have deployed a 2.7-litre supercharger in the Demon as opposed to the 2.4-litre one for the Hellcat, with an overall boost pressure of 14.5psi which helps the SRT in developing a massive 1043Nm of torque. The engine also revs higher than ever - 6500rpm as opposed to the earlier 6200rpm.
But, it is not just a bigger turbine that builds all the horsepower. There is also a state-of-the-art charge cooling system to reduce the intake temperature which helps generate more horsepower. The hood-scoop that sucks cold air is the largest on a production car and there is no doubt whatsoever that these hood scoops aren’t here just for aesthetics. The gearing has been altered to aid the quarter-mile times and the front suspension loosened to help the rear load up faster.
The performance is transferred to the tarmac through an eight-speed automatic transmission powering the rear wheels that come with drag-spec Nitto slick tyres. The Demon races to 100kmph from standstill in just 2.3 seconds to win the crown of the fastest accelerating production car, thus beating the Tesla fair and square as well. It races the quarter mile at an NHRA-approved 9.65 seconds with an exit speed of 225kmph generating almost 1.8g of thrust at the start-line. No wonder NHRA has issued a decree allowing only professional dragsters to be allowed to race the Demon at the speedways.
It doesn’t end here. The Demon comes only with the driver seat standard, like any race car. But, if you thought you will be ripped off in paying for the extra passenger seats, guess again! These beauties will only cost you a paltry dollar each. You get two sets of keys, the black one which restricts the power output to 500bhp while the red key opens the demonic floodgates, generating 807bhp of power for standard fuel and the 840bhp of power with 100+ octane drag fuel.
The Demon has a bunch of luxury options that include leather seats, trunk carpeting, a Harmon Kardon 900-watt 19-speaker audio system, a sunroof, ventilated leather front seats and a heated steering wheel. Buyers can get a satin black finish on the hood, or on the hood, roof, and a deck-lid. Unveiled at the New York Auto show, the Dodge will build only 3300 Demons, 3000 for America and 300 for Canada. You might have to camp overnight at these dealerships, for most of the cars will already have been booked.
