Dodge's new Challenger SRT Demon street-legal drag racer is so quick it's been banned by North America's National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
Speaking at its global debut ahead of the New York motor show overnight, head of Chrysler passenger car brands Tim Kuniskis said the Demon was created with just one target – sub-10sec quarter-mile acceleration.
“We had one single f-ing goal – nine seconds," he said.
Packing a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 producing maximum power of 626kW at maximum boost of 1.0 bar and weighing almost two tonnes, the Demon delivers a quarter-mile time of just 9.65 seconds, making it the world’s quickest and most powerful rear-wheel drive production car.
At launch, it pulls 1.8g and puts daylight under both front wheels on its way to 100km/h in a staggering 2.3sec.
“That’s exactly what we wanted,” said Kuniskis. “We wanted to impress the NHRA not the PTA.”
The NHRA’s response to Demon’s record-setting, sub-10sec quarter-mile time at 140.09mph was to immediately ban it from competition, citing Section 4 of the rulebook which says a production car cannot exceed 9.99 seconds or 135mph over the quarter-mile.
“The NHRA thought I’d be angry so they delivered the news to me in person. I wasn’t angry at all. In fact, I hugged ‘em," said Kuniskis.
“We set out two years ago with the Demon to be the best and the most."
Dodge says the Demon goes far beyond the Challenger SRT Hellcat, which employs a 527kW version of the same engine and hits 100km/h in just under 4sec.
Neither model is produced in right-hand drive, and although the Hellcat is available in Australia via aftermarket local converters, it remains to be seen whether any of the 3300 limited-edition Demons Dodge plans to build will make it Down Under.
“It would have been easy to take a Hellcat and make it a bit faster,” said Kuniskis, who admitted the Demon's 840hp claimed power output was achieved using 100 octane racing fuel, not ordinary 91 octane pump fuel available in the US for about $2.50 per gallon.
But on 91 octane petrol and in pure street trim, the Demon still turns a 9.96sec quarter at 136mph, says Dodge.
“If you want the power figures for 91 octane fuel, this engine produces 602kW peak,” which is still 75kW more than Hellcat’s max, said Kuniskis., who claimed the Demon engine is not simply a Hellcat gone harder-core, but all-new.
One key to achieving the big power output was to chill the air intake by using the car’s air-conditioning, which drops induction charge temperature by as much as 8.3 decrees C.
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The Demon also draws its air through two nostrils disguised as headlights, giving it "the largest cold air intake ever used on a production car”, says Dodge.
The US car-maker isn’t down playing or disguising the fact the Demon is a purpose-built drag car with number plates. In fact, Dodge initially considered naming it the Challenger ADR (American Drag Racer).
But it also stresses it's not just a one-trick drag-strip pony, claiming it can pull more than 1g in lateral cornering and pointing out it also comes with airbags and an 'Eco Mode'.
“It is absolutely a daily driver," said Kuniskis, smiling. "What’s more, and get this, Demon runs the quarter-mile in 11.59 seconds in Eco Mode.”
There are a few other things potential buyers need to know. The front passenger seat and the rear seat are optional, and each will cost you an additional $1.00.
And the record-setting engine is covered by a full three-year/36,000-mile factory warranty and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, and is emissions-legal in all 50 US states.
Dodge isn’t yet talking price, but the Demon will cost less than $US100,000 in North America.
“The price will be way below six figures,” said Kuniskis.
To prevent US dealers from jacking the prices, as they did with Hellcat, all 3300 Demons delivered will wear an ID tag with the owner’s name and a serial number.
In an automotive world that is concerned these days with autonomy, efficiency and social responsibility, the Dodge Demon is the anti-Christ.