Dodge will get devilish at the New York Auto Show
Dodge is planning to follow up the success of its hellcat muscle cars by resurrecting the Demon badge and applying it to its most ferocious road car yet.
When the Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat models made their global debut just two years ago, they did so with supercharged V8s under their hoods outputting 707hp. That, alongside top speeds in excess of 200mph, made them the fastest production US muscle cars in the world.
But no matter how high a car company raises the bar, it doesn't take long for the competition to catch up. So to ensure that other vehicles remain a speck in the Dodge's rearview mirror, it's summoning up a Demon, quite literally. It's bringing back the demonic badge that last graced a souped-up model in the early 1970s.
"Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands - Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT - FCA North America. "The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car and a half second is your reputation."
To generate excitement in the lead up to the car's official unveiling in April, Dodge has created its first ever video teaser campaign under the banner ‘if you know you know' and a new instalment will be unveiled every week over the next three months.
As for what exactly to expect from the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the first video only indicates that the company has used the Hellcat as the starting point for the new model.
However, the signs point to a car that is stripped back to save weight, that is more than likely to have an even bigger supercharger and hopefully all-wheel drive to keep that ferocious power in check.
We also know that the car will need to get from 0-60mph in under 3 seconds and manage the standing quarter mile (the true test of all muscle cars) in less than 10.85 seconds while hitting a speed of at least 126.18 mph. Because those are the benchmarks laid down by the Hellcat.
