Dodge resurrects controversial Challenger SRT Demon for final year of V8 muscle cars

DETROIT — Dodge is resurrecting its arguable musculus car model, the Challenger SRT Demon, arsenic a last peculiar variation of the conveyance earlier accumulation of the brand's current V8 motor cars ends aboriginal this year.

The limited-edition resistance racing car volition beryllium the fastest, astir almighty mentation of the Dodge Challenger ever produced by the automaker. It builds upon a 2018 Challenger SRT Demon exemplary that immoderate criticized for being excessively almighty and hardly thoroughfare legal.

Dodge says the caller car volition present 1,025 horsepower and 945 foot-pounds of torque connected E85 ethanol blend fuel. It tin execute 60 mph from a rolling commencement successful 1.66 seconds. The vehicle's show falls somewhat erstwhile utilizing substance with little amounts of ethanol, but adjacent connected communal E10 substance it boasts 900 horsepower and 810 foot-pounds of torque.

The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 volition commencement at the diabolically evocative terms of $96,666 — the past 3 figures are a notation to the devil — but it tin apical $120,000 oregon much with fees, options and accessories, according to Dodge. Ordering for the conveyance opens connected March 27.

Dodge, owned by Stellantis, lone plans to physique arsenic galore arsenic 3,000 of the vehicles for the U.S. and 300 for Canada, pending the availability of parts and proviso concatenation problems. That would beryllium akin to accumulation of the 2018 model.

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis declined to disclose the superior concern for the vehicle, which was revealed Monday, oregon its expected nett margins.

"These cars are ending connected a high," Kuniskis said. He referred to the Demon 170 arsenic "the caller pinnacle of mill crazy."

When asked astir the vehicle's substance economy, helium said "it's horrible," but aboriginal called the car "eco-friendly" due to the fact that substance with precocious ethanol levels runs cleaner than accepted gasoline portion besides burning much quickly. The car volition beryllium taxable to a $2,100 mandatory gas-guzzler tax.   

The "170" moniker is successful notation to a precocious impervious of alcohol, arsenic the car tin tally connected ethanol fuel. Each proprietor volition besides person a peculiar solid decanter with their conveyance purchase.

The caller car volition beryllium susceptible of popping wheelies, wherever the vehicle's beforehand tires assistance disconnected the crushed owed to the magnitude of powerfulness coming from the rear wheels.

Dodge was expected to uncover the car earlier this year, but engineers were "blowing up" engines attempting to get arsenic overmuch show arsenic imaginable retired of the car, Kuniskis said. The problems led engineers to make a caller supercharged motor for the vehicle.

The 2023 Demon SRT is the seventh special-edition musculus car for Dodge arsenic it celebrates the upcoming extremity of production of the existent Challenger and Charger musculus cars. Dodge has sold much than 2 cardinal of those vehicles since their introductions much than a decennary ago.

"You person to observe this end," Kuniskis told CNBC, adding the Challenger serves arsenic a "halo" exemplary for the brand, attracting the attraction of customers who spell connected to bargain different vehicles. "We bash brainsick amended than anybody."