Dodge is sending its most iconic motor out with a very big bang.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the last V8-powered car the brand will introduce before it stops building them altogether at the end of 2023, and it’s a history-making model.
The two-door coupe is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that’s rated at 900 hp when running on 91 octane gasoline and an astonishing 1,025 hp using even higher octane E85 fuel.
The 170 in its name is a humorous reference to the alcohol content and proof of E85.
Both outputs qualify it as the most powerful internal combustion engine car ever sold by a major American automaker.
It’s also the quickest production car in the world in accelerating to 60 mph, with the sprint certified at 1.66 seconds while it can cover a quarter-mile in 8.9 seconds at a trap speed of 151 mph.
The car is an evolution of the limited edition 808 hp 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, but Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis told Fox News Digital that every major part in the engine except for the camshaft has been redesigned to handle the extra power. That includes its massive 3.0-liter supercharger.
The Demon 170 also gets a stronger drive shaft, rear axle housing and half-shafts to get the power to its standard equipment Mickey Thompson street-legal drag tires. The eight-speed automatic uses an updated version of the original Demon’s TransBrake, which is a drag racing-derived feature that allows the driver to rev the engine while the vehicle is stationary without using the brakes by locking the eight-speed automatic transmission.
That sets it up for a launch that’s hard enough to pop a wheelie, which is further enhanced by a computer-controlled suspension that has a Drag Mode setting to optimize the weight transfer as it jumps off the starting line.
The Demon 170 is delivered with just a cloth driver’s seat but can be ordered with a full set and leather upholstery is an option. A safety cage and parachute will be available through the Dodge Direct Connection parts catalog, both of which are required by the NHRA if you want to try to break the nine second quarter-mile and 150 mph marks on a drag strip.
Kuniskis says you’ll need some practice to get good enough to replicate the official performance numbers, but that it’s possible to fill up with E85 at a gas station, head to the track and get it done.
You’ll want to start with an empty tank, however, as the car monitors the fuel mix that’s in it and adjusts its power to match. So it won’t put out the full 1,025 hp unless its running on pure E85.
Pricing for the Demon 170 has been set at an appropriately evil $96,666, not including destination charges and fees. Each will come with a serialized Demon-branded decanter and whiskey glass set as another tip of the hat to its E85-burning capability.
Production will be limited to 3,000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada, but Kuniskis said the final count could end up being lower if any of the ongoing supply-chain issues cause parts shortages; the cars have to all be built by the end of the year when the Challenger and Charger assembly line is scheduled to stop building them.
After that, Dodge is replacing its V8-powered muscle cars with a production version of the electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept, which will be offered in a top-of-the-line Banshee model that could rival the Demon 170’s power and speed, although those details have yet to be announced.
“Now we will have a new benchmark, and it will be up to us to see if we can beat this one,” Kuniskis said.
“The best challenge to have is to beat yourself.”
