A little over half a century ago, people with absolutely zero understanding of cars decided that the automobile was a major contributing factor to atmospheric pollution and that it should be crucified. Well, luckily, they didn’t succeed in their strive to turn cars into motor wagons once more, but they did cut off a considerable chunk of the fun factor.
Nowadays, the tables have turned (thank you, automotive science and wizardry!). The muscle cars of old can only watch with parental pride as their descendants now fire thousands of horsepower from one single combustion plant that can also take the kids to school. That means drag races can live peacefully alongside bicyclists, oxcarts, and other forms of transportation that only produce digestion emissions.
Naturally, what better way to celebrate the regained freedom than by throwing out some outrageously magnificent machines, such as the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon of 2018? By now a venerable nameplate, the iconic leisure car of Satan still is a formidable foe at the standing quarter brawls, even if its bigger, meaner brother (the 1,025-hp Demon 170) has claimed the top spot since.
However, the original Demon had a nasty habit of not being race-ready in its street form. Some tweaks and small print rules and regulations prevented an off-the-showroom-floor Challenger of hell from running straight to the drag strip and wreaking havoc. Nonetheless, with all the mandated adjustments, the rowdy Challenger Demon can and will lay down some very heavy straight-line punches.
Photo: YouTube/Wheels
Its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine might seem dated in this day and age, with ‘only’ 808 horsepower (840, if the driver opted for the Demon Crate motor) and 770 lb-ft of torque. Let me translate that into metric: 819 PS and 1,044 Nm (naval specs right there). When the Demon puts on the tracksuit, it will do naught to sixty in 2.3 seconds and get to the far end of the 1,320-foot strip in 9.65 seconds at a blood-draining 140 mph (225 kph) trap speed. At least, that’s what the official claims are, but they’re dead wrong.
Don’t believe me, play the video below, courtesy of the speed enthusiasts from Wheels YouTube Channel, and then say what you will about the 9.35 seconds for the Elapsed Time (at 145.31 mph, or 233.8 kph). Although the Hellcat lined up against it left first, the Demon caught up with its rival within the first second of the race. It showed the possessed feline a beautiful set of taillights.
The result is exactly what should be expected from this Mopar bout, where the Demon crosses crankshafts with a lesser adversary. Although powered by the same supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 as the Demon, the Hellcat runs out of lives at 717 horsepower and 656 lb-ft of torque (727 PS, 890 Nm).
Officially, Dodge backs these numbers by a 3.8-second sprint from zero to sixty miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). As for the 440-yard GPA, the Hellcat (in its Redeye tenure) will get that done in more or less 11.7 seconds at 125 mph (201 kph). However, this example in the video below got slightly over that limit, crossing the line at 129.05 mph (207.64) 11.68 seconds after a very enthusiastic launch.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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