In 2014, I got to drive the 707-horsepower Charger SRT Hellcat. It was an exhilarating experience.
At the time, the Charger SRT Hellcat and its brother the Challenger SRT Hellcat were the most powerful muscle cars ever. Today, a new muscle car reigns supreme – the wickedly fast 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
The heart of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI Demon V-8, rated at 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque.
While the Demon V-8 shares its architecture with the 707-hp 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI Hellcat V-8, it is not simply a Hellcat engine with more boost.
The Demon V-8 engine has 25 major component upgrades from the Hellcat engine, including supercharger, pistons, rods, valve train and fuel injection system.
In addition, the HEMI Demon V-8 includes a high-speed valvetrain, strengthened connecting rods and pistons, and an improved lubrication system. The features enable the engine to sustain higher output and pressures while meeting stringent durability requirements.
All of these upgrades work together to produce these impressive performance numbers:
- 0-30 mph: 1.0 second
- 0-60 mph: 2.3 seconds
- Quarter-mile: 9.65 seconds at 140 mph
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon gives the driver the capability to set up the car for on-road precision, maximum drag strip performance, or anything in between.
The Drive Modes include the Challenger SRT Demon-exclusive Drag Mode. Drive Mode settings include Auto (Street) Mode, which sets the Bilstein Adaptive Damping Suspension (ADS) for a comfortable ride with compliant handling, and Custom Mode, which lets the driver select between Auto and Drag Mode configurations for the transmission, paddle shifters, traction, suspension, and steering.
The Challenger SRT Demon is equipped with a set of four standard Nitto NT05R street-legal, drag-race tires, a first for a factory production car.
The 315/40R18 tires were specifically designed and developed exclusively for the SRT Demon, with a new compound and specific tire sidewall construction.
The drag radials give the SRT Demon a 15-percent larger tire contact patch and more than twice the grip of the Challenger SRT Hellcat.
The sticky drag tires are mounted on lightweight 11×18-inch wheels, with each tire measuring 12.6 inches wide.
Putting full-size tires at all four corners gives drag racers an extra set of rear tires when the front tires are replaced with narrow front-runners at the track.
The driver is the focus in the interior of the Challenger SRT Demon. Facing the driver is a flat-bottom SRT Performance steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara with paddle shifters.
The SRT white-face gauges include a 200-mph speedometer and flank the 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) cluster display screen.
A custom carbon fiber instrument panel badge with “Demon” script is located on the outboard vent and signifies the build sequence number.
A new four-point harness bar, available through Speedlogix, is available for use at the track. Mounting points for the bar are accessible, making it easy for customers to install without cutting or drilling anything.
Standard cloth seats include Ballistic II inserts with silver embroidered Demon head logo in the seatbacks. An optional Laguna Leather Package includes leather-covered seats and trim with an embossed Demon head logo.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will be available 14 exterior colors: B5 Blue, Billet Silver, Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Go Mango, Granite Crystal, Indigo Blue, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Plum Crazy, TorRed, White Knuckle, and Yellow Jacket.
Production of the limited-edition single model year Challenger SRT Demon begins later this summer, with 3,000 vehicles for the United States and 300 vehicles for Canada.
All customers who buy the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon receive one full-day session at Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving, the Official High-performance Driving School of Dodge//SRT.
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Frederick J. Goodall is the Editor-in-Chief of Mocha Man Style, media spokesperson, event host, photographer, and a top social media influencer in Houston, TX. He likes to write about fashion, cars, travel, and health.