Does anybody else recognize that drag strip?
How serious are the cars created by Dodge’s Street and Racing Technology division? Enough for buyers to receive a course at the Bondurant School for High Performance Driving with their purchase.
How serious is Dodge about SRT? Enough to provide the department with all the resources it needs to develop outrageously adept performance cars, including the required brainpower. The SRT team is composed of ex-SCCA Runoffs champs, nationally competitive autocrossers and drag racers, and big-brained automotive engineers. They claim their vehicles are much more than just pumped-up versions of existing products; they’re completely reengineered with the aim of being the best in the world at what they do.
One of the group’s latest creations is the Dodge SRT Challenger Demon, and we recently drove it one quarter-mile at a time. Consider this: The Dodge Demon, when launched properly, can reach 140 mph in less time than it took you to read this sentence.
The numbers are stunning: 840 horsepower, 770 ft.-lbs. of torque, zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds, and a quarter-mile in 9.65 seconds at 140 mph.
Here’s what makes those numbers even more impressive: The Demon is smog legal in all 50 states, meets NHTSA safety standards, and comes with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. That warranty, by the way, isn’t voided if you take your Demon drag racing.
Be advised that if you do launch the car correctly, that run will be your last one of the day. That’s because NHRA rules require any car breaking into the 9s to have a roll cage. While the Demon is much more user-friendly than any 840-horsepower car has a right to be, we found that it takes quite a bit of throttle control to coax a sub-10-second run out of it.
Why build such an outrageous machine? As the SRT team explains, although drag racing is immensely popular in the U.S., it’s been a long time since any automaker has developed a street-legal car specifically aimed at that market. Sure, there have been pure race cars like the Mustang Cobra Jet and the COPO Camaro, but neither of those had a VIN-and certainly not a warranty.
The Demon is also the first production car to come equipped with a transmission brake. This bit of technology allows the engine to spin while binding the driveshaft. Release the transmission brake, and the weight shifts to the rear, the nose rises, and the car launches with such force that it lifts and carries the front wheels completely off the ground.
At the same time, the engine lets out a deafening roar and the supercharger shrieks. The acceleration is mind-bending and disorienting at first, but you soon realize how stable and controllable the Demon is. After a few launches, mid-10-second passes became second nature. It’s that easy to drive.
While the GRM world doesn’t revolve around drag racing, we still came away mighty impressed with the Demon. What we have here is the quickest, most violent production car ever produced. Amazingly, thanks to its softly sprung suspension aimed more at launching than carving apexes, the Demon is docile enough to drive every day. With a price tag of $85,000, it isn’t for everyone, but we sure are happy it exists.
Does anybody else recognize that drag strip?
In reply to Ed Higginbotham :
Gainesville Raceway, home of the Gatornationals
And the $2017 Challenge!
I do recognize and then my first thought was, "I wonder if it will be there for The Challenge?"
I further thought, "wouldn't it be fun if the General Tire Challenge went straight in a borrowed car rather than in circles!"
That indeed is Gainsville Raceway. This was where the SRT engineers coaxed a 9.65 run out of a completely stock Demon.
While it's easy to run low 10s in the Demon, getting into the 9s requires a delicate throttle foot--- as 840hp and 770 lb/ft will incinerate even sticky rubber very easily.
Here's a couple of other cool things about the Demon that due to space constraints didn't make the story.
* When the car is in "Drag" mode, the A/C is diverted from the cabin, directly into the intake charge. This "Chiller" is claimed to add 10-15 hp.
* The Demon comes with a "Line Lock" for heating up the rear tires before a drag launch. Although performing a brake torque is simple with that much power on hand
* By the time I attended the launch, three other waves of journalists had pounded on the cars. (both the widebody Hellcat Challenger and the Demon) I was allowed as many 1/4 mile runs in the Demon as I wanted...as were the others there. No mechanical failure in any of the cars. The Demons were actually let to idle the entire day--- as they waited for the next media-type to hop in. No overheating, no smoke (beside the tires), no issues.
* The Demon shares spring rates with the 300C Sedan. This, along with it's generous sidewalls make for a stunningly comfortable ride on the street.
* Both cars made me giggle like a schoolgirl 
It's about the best thing to ever happen to a 9-year-old model before replacement, that's for sure!! I hope something equivalent happens to my human body when i turn 70..
I am still waiting for SRT to make an attempt at something lightweight and attainable. RWD preferred.
Wonder if they could do something with the Fiata?
Apexcarver said:I am still waiting for SRT to make an attempt at something lightweight and attainable. RWD preferred.
Wonder if they could do something with the Fiata?
What could they really do? Try to Out-Fiata Flyin Miata?
In reply to Apexcarver :
Like a neon or calibur srt?
I wonder how they are to autocross. And no, "not good" isn't enough of a description. They don't have to win, just be fun. I like cars that are fun.
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