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2018 Dodge Demon Goes Official As The World’s Fastest 1/4-Mile Production Car

Remember that scene from the first Fast & Furious movie? That one with Paul Walker telling Vin Diesel, “I owe you a ten-second car.” Bearing in mind the vehicle in question is an extremely modified Supra, nitrous oxide and all, the long-awaited Challenger SRT Demon puts it to shame with an unapologetically mind-blowing 9.65-second 1.4-mile run.
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 81 photos
Photo: Dodge
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Though the hype train is a little too much and Vin Diesel’s speak at the unveiling event was too stiff, there’s a whole lot to like about the ultimate expression of the Challenger. First and foremost, it’s street legal. Secondly, it packs one seat as standard, with the passenger and rear seats going for $1 each as optional extras. In its lightest form possible, the Demon tips the scales at just 4,280 pounds (1,941 kg).

Tim Kuniskis, who is the man behind Dodge’s performance revival, will say it straight to your face that the 6.2-liter S/C V8 under the hood is an all-new design, but the truth is, it isn’t. The Demon V8 is a modified Hellcat V8 that boasts 2.7 liters of supercharging instead of 2.4 liters, a wee bit more boost (14.5 psi instead of 11.6 psi), two dual-stage fuel pumps, more induction, and upgrades to the pistons, rods, valve train, and other internals of the same variety.

As such, maximum revolutions per minute is up to 6,500 rpm versus 6,200 in the Hellcat, and output on 91-octane gas is rated at 808 horsepower and 717 pound-feet when using the red key. Put at least 100-octane’s worth of race fuel in the tank, and those figures go up to 840 ponies and 770 lb-ft. Dodge makes a case that the Challenger Demon has the highest horsepower V8 production car engine ever produced, but that statement is false. Koenigsegg, anyone? 1,100 ponies from a 5.0-liter V8 mill? Thank you.

A lot of modifications to the engine, software, suspension, and transmission later, we get down to the standard drag radials. These bad boys are crucial for the SRT Demon’s go-faster abilities. Here are some stats: zero to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, 2.92 feet worth of front-wheel lift when fitted with the narrow front runner wheels, 9.65-second quarter-mile, and 1.8 Gs produced under full-on acceleration. It’s beastly, to say the least, and kudos to Dodge and the mad professors over at SRT for making the Demon happen considering the limitations of the Challenger’s platform.

Oh, and another thing: Only 3,000 units for the United States plus 300 for Canada will be produced for the 2018 model year. After that, who knows what Dodge has in store for us. And on that note, here's a question for you: Can you imagine what's next after Demon?

All the information available right now on the Demon is available in the following press release and PDF specifications sheet.

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 Download: 2018 Dodge Demon specifications (PDF)

press release
About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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