Yesterday at 8:00 pm EDT, Dodge introduced the new 840 HP, limited-production Challenger SRT Demon. Amid a light and pyro show, the new Dodge drove out of a cage to the left of the stage, did a massive burnout, then performed a transbrake launch that, at least in the fuzzy footage we were watching, had it picking the front wheels up off of the ground. Yeah, we’re sure you’ve heard already, but the car does wheelies on its stock tires right off the showroom floor. It sounds shocking, but consider looking over the specs: with nearly 850 hp and 315 drag radials launching on a ‘brake, the thing better pull the wheels. The real shocking thing is that parent company FCA actually gave the Demon a green light at all. So here’s why Car Craft readers should love the new Demon.
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The supercharged 6.2L Hemi makes 840 on 100-octane gasoline, and you can switch to high-octane mode using the car’s interface.
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On regular 91-octane gasoline, the engine only makes 808 hp. It’s funny to even be writing that- not so long ago, cars that made half that power were considered exotic.
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It comes standard with a line lock and transbrake.
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The Demon is the first production car to come from the factory with drag radial tires as standard equipment- P315/40R18 Nitto NT05Rs on all four corners. If the press photos we’re looking at are accurate, the rims have an arrow machined into the lip, and the tires are given a hash mark at that arrow once they’re mounted. That way, you can see if the tires slip on the rims during hard launches. What would have been really crazy is if these things rolled off the line with a set of bead lock wheels!
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The Demon can be ordered with a tool kit in the trunk and a set of skinny, front runner tires. Drive to the track, swap tires, run 9’s no problem.
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Yes, the car runs 9’s. It’s run a quick, 1.36-second 60-foot time, and a best pass of 9.65 at 140 mph. It generates as much as 1.8g from a standing start under full boost and sprints from 0 to 60 mph in a staggering 2.3 seconds. Look for Demon vs. Sportbike squid videos on YouTube soon.
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Charge Cooler! The car’s A/C system is used to aid cooling of the inlet air, by using the A/C refrigerant to cool the supercharger’s charge-cooling fluid.
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The car’s electronically adjustable suspension can simulate the dampening and rebound rates of 90 / 10 shocks for the front struts. On a hard launch, the front will lift and stay up, transferring weight to plant the rear tires.
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The car comes standard with only a driver’s seat!! You need to order the front passenger and rear seat and the corresponding seat belts if you really must have those things.
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The wheelie! The Demon is the first production car to do a wheelie, a feat documented by the Guinness Book of World Records. We’re still tripping out over the PR photos showing the car doing wheelie with the 315 front tires.
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