While not everyone is on board with the electric revolution from the automotive industry, today, people from both camps get to see two nemeses facing each other in a pure American fashion 1/4-mile drag race. While racing Lambos against 911s makes for an entertaining show, it's nothing compared to seeing a Demon 170 race a Tesla Model S Plaid.
In the ICE corner, we have the unequivocally most powerful muscle car in the world, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. It's called "170" because this monster performs at its peak when fueled with E85 corn juice. And when I say peak, I mean being able to pull off a quarter-mile run under 9 seconds with the right weight-saving mods.
This RWD land missile packs a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that can output 1,025 horsepower or 1,039 ps and an astounding 945 lb-ft of torque (1,281 Nm). Under the right conditions, it can get from 0-60 in 1.66 seconds, which is mindblowing, to say the least.
However, those are official Dodge numbers that don't quite match what you get when you put the Demon on a dyno. This model got 900 hp to the wheels, while other models managed to get 925 hp when tested.
This Demon has been stripped of its passenger seat along with the back seats to save as much weight as possible. The total price for this immensely powerful muscle car was $119,000. It goes without saying that the Demon has been sold out. In 2024, only 3,300 models will be manufactured.
On the other side of the spectrum, there's the fully electric rocketship on wheels, the $89,000 Tesla Model S Plaid. It's rocking a three electric motor setup. It's all-wheel drive and can produce 1,020 horsepower, launching it from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just under 2 seconds. Behind the wheel... excuse me, the yolk of the Model S Plaid is Brooks Weisblat from DragTimes.
Photo: DragTimes
Now, it's off to the races! During the first attempt, Brooks had a much better launch than the Demon and secured victory with skill, power, and style. That being said, the Demon suffered from a case of too-powerful-for-its-own-good and couldn't help pull off a "wheelie," while the AWD Tesla simply kept on going for the sound barrier.
At the 1/4-mile finish line, the Model S Plaid managed to pull off 9.4 seconds at 147 mph (236 kph), while the Dodge did it in 9.8 seconds at 143 mph (230 kph).
The second time, the Dodge won the launch, so to speak, and for a few seconds, it was leading. However, it was all for naught. Brooks's AWD kept on marching and secured another victory.
The Tesla crossed the finish line in 9.4 seconds, while the Demon 170 did it in 9.7. They went for a third run, but the Demon had some technical issues, so it had to bow out of the race.
Even though the Challenger lost, there is a silver lining when you reevaluate things. Given that it couldn't keep all four wheels on the ground during the launch, it put it at a severe disadvantage. That was the main reason it lost. But in a "fair fight," the results could have been much different.
The duel between this muscle car and an electric supercar isn't over yet, and we should expect a repeat sometime in the future.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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