Auto enthusiasts will soon get a chance to catch a glimpse of the devil himself, Dodge Challenger SRT Demon at the New York Auto Show which is due to be held in April. A light tap on the throttle is enough to give Goosebumps to the one behind the wheel. Switch to the ‘Drag Mode’ and you may end up skipping a heartbeat. Ahead of its official unveiling in about a week’s time, the automaker has teased a few details for the upcoming vehicle.
Under the hood, the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will be powered by 6.2-litre engine from popular drag track beast, the Hellcat which generates massive 697bhp of power. The powerful engine comes mated to either six-speed or eight-speed automatic transmission. Moving a step ahead and making an effort to offer something better, the Challenger SRT Demon will offer more than 35 per cent than the Challenger Hellcat and has been well upgraded with higher stall speed torque converter and 3.09 rear axle gears. As compared to the Hellcat, the Demon will 15 percent larger tire contact patch, more than twice the grip, 18 percent increase in converter torque multiplication and 18 percent increase in rear axle torque multiplication. The numbers clearly indicate that the new machine will soon intimidate others on the drag track.
Along with all modern safety features in place, the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will also get a ‘Drag Mode’, which when activated disengages the traction control but keeps stability control switch on. Moreover, the vehicle gets a unique suspension setup which has been optimized exclusively for straight line speed. The vehicle will also get larger air grabber that ever before, which could possibly be the largest ever cold-air intake to be ever installed. The high profile tyres are capable of handling higher launch torque loads, which is quite an essential aspect that you need to consider when you have a Demon running on the tracks. One of the trailer video reveals that the Demon will get 18 extra components that allows buyers to mix and match parts as per required specification.
Based on what can be seen in the teaser videos, the vehicle will get a traditional wide and low-sit designed body shell. The front will get wide grille with twin-round shaped LED ring headlamps. The large flat bonnet gets the wide air-intake which the company claims is the largest ever and helps deliver the best of performance. The vehicle will also be around 215 pounds lighter than the Hellcat, which indeed makes it faster on the tracks. The rear section gets the conventional rectangular shaped LED taillights that gives the muscular beast its unique identity. The matte-black alloy wheels add to its overall sporty quotient.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is not intended for a regular road. But then, the company allows each customer to decide at the time of order, or once they own the car, or even on a moment's notice that they want their car to favor street performance, drag strip performance or something in between. Offered as a hardcore drag race machine, the new model will not be loaded with as many creaturely comforts as we see in the Italian sportscar. That said, this is purely a muscle car that is raw and fast, and is definitely not something for the faint hearted!
Earlier this month, Dodge also revealed the Durango SRT, one of its kind performance SUV.
