I understand that when you’re in the business of selling cars, all that matters is the dotted line. It’s a numbers game, and your job is to maximize profits. Yet, some of these inflated numbers are blowing my mind, especially on cars like the modern-day Dodge Challenger.
Here’s my problem. On the one hand, you have a flagship spec Challenger, maybe a Demon or even a Demon 170 such as this one – and those are worth certain considerations. I understand why people are paying over MSRP for them at auction.
Then again, you’ve got the regular, “entry-level” Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak, which on paper has/had a starting MSRP of $74,290, or $82,690 if you want the Widebody version. I’m sorry, but not even the Demon 170 is worth twice as much as a regular Hellcat. It’s simply not twice the car.
Anyway, now that the ranting is over, let’s look at this brand spanking new 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170 in Go Mango, with delivery miles on the clock (8 miles). It was up for grabs until recently, when somebody went ahead and bid $162,000 for it only for the dealership to say, “no thanks”. In case you’re wondering what they were thinking, well, they were probably looking at other Demon 170 models that ended up selling for nearly $200,000 – quite recently too.
We’ve seen one that went for $197,000 earlier this month, and another one that sold for $176,000 just last week. So, in a way, $162k could be considered ‘below-market', but let’s be real, it’s still an outlandish figure.
On the flip side, I’m sure somebody’s going to snag this Challenger up soon, because it’s got everything you might want or need from a flagship-spec muscle car. It’s got the Air-Grabber hood with the satin black graphic, a satin black roof, Air-Catcher HID headlights, the SRT Performance rear spoiler with an integrated rearview camera, black-finished wheels (17 & 18-inches) with Mickey Thompson ET Street R tires, Brembo brakes, plus the edition-specific Drag Mode suspension with adaptive shocks.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
The interior boasts a heated Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, a plaque for the identification number, heated and ventilated front seats (in black Alcantara and Laguna leather), carbon fiber accents for the dashboard and center console, a suede headliner, an 18-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, and more.
As for the power unit, it’s an all-time great. It’s like the LeBron James of engines – I'm talking about the 6.2-liter HEMI V8 with the 3.0-liter supercharger. It’s rated at 900 horsepower and 810 lb-ft of torque on conventional E10 fuel, and 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque when running on E85. Obviously, everything is sent to the rear wheels via the carmaker’s TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Just how incredible is the Demon 170 in a straight line? It’ll cover a quarter mile in just 8.91 seconds, which is officially stupid fast for a production car that you’re also allowed to drive on the road.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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