The 2007 Dodge Demon Roadster Was More Mazda Miata Than Muscle Car

Dodge has one of the smallest model lineups of any carmaker. However, it loved to put out wild concepts that never went into production. We've recently shown you the Venom or the Copperhead, and this Demon is a similar idea, a roadster that's supposed to be smaller and more affordable than the Viper.

Fast and Furious must have left a big mark on the aftermarket scene in America. We remember everybody wanted to own a 350Z or an S2000, and the Demon looks a lot like both of those. It had the long nose of the Honda but the larger eyes of a Nissan roadster.

Now, this wasn't the first time Chrysler had tried to deliver a small sports car to the masses. Some may still remember the Crossfire, made between 2004 and 2008. It was based on the Mercedes SLK roadster and shared most of its components. That's certainly something, as making a sports car is about more than just writing "agile driver's car" in the press release.

The Demon was supposed to compete with the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, and Mazda Miata. For this reason, Dodge chose to use a 2.4-liter inline-four engine which put out 172 hp and 165 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual was supposed to deliver power to the rear wheels.

In terms of proportions, the concept was small, measuring only 156 inches (3,962 mm), 2 inches shorter than a current Miata. The width was exactly the same as the ND MX-5 at 68.3 inches (1,735 mm), while total weight was about the same as a Toyota 86 at 2,600 lbs. None of this sounds very exciting, but Dodge wanted to sell this car for $15,000 at the time, so maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad concept to put into production.