Dodge introduced the quickest, fastest and most powerful muscle car in the world, the 1,025-horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The brand's seventh and final "Last Call" special-edition model was unveiled this evening at the Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas performance festival at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With its 1,025-horsepower (at 6,500 rpm), 945 lb.-ft. (at 4,200 rpm) production HEMI® engine, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reaches 60 mph in a blazing 1.66 seconds and features the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs. The Demon 170 can also reach 900 horsepower and 810 lb.-ft. of torque on E10 fuel.
A Dodge special-edition vehicle like none other, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the quickest vehicle ever produced in the brand's 100-plus-year history. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the first factory production car to run the quarter-mile under nine seconds with a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-certified 8.91-second ET at 151.17 mph. On the drag strip, the Challenger SRT Demon 170 receives an NHRA violation letter for running a sub-nine-second quarter-mile without a safety cage or parachute, following in the footsteps of the original Demon, which was also banned from NHRA quarter miles.
Black keys are also banned from the Challenger SRT Demon 170, as the fastest Dodge Challenger ever will be delivered only with red key fobs. The 2018 Challenger SRT Demon featured a black key fob to limit horsepower and a red key fob to unlock full output; the new Demon unleashes horsepower levels determined not by a key, but by sensing the percentage of ethanol fuel content.
"To celebrate the end of the HEMI muscle-car era, we pulled off all the governors to reach a new level, a new benchmark of 'factory-crazy' production car performance," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive officer - Stellantis. "In 2015, Dodge shocked the world with the 707-horsepower Hellcat. Then, in 2018, we did it with the 840-horsepower Demon, and now we are doing it again with the 1,025-horsepower Demon 170, the world's first sustainable-energy, eight-second, factory-production, street-legal muscle car."
Dodge "Last Call" vehicles commemorate the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. Six special-edition "Last Call" vehicles were previously introduced, leading up to the reveal of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170.
Production of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will begin in summer 2023 and will be limited to at most 3,300 units, with 3,000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada. Final unit numbers will be based on production capacity.
Current owners of the original 2018 Challenger SRT Demon who secure a dealer allocation for the new 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will also be given the unique opportunity to match the same vehicle identification number as their original Demon when finalizing their order.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will be available at a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $96,666 (excluding destination and fees).
First-ever 1,025-horsepower HEMI engine from the factory
Putting 1,025 horsepower to the ground - from the factory, no less - isn't easy. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 delivers on the strength of upgrades to almost every primary engine power component (only the camshaft is untouched) of the 6.2-liter high-output supercharged HEMI engine.
The fire-breathing heart of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 shares DNA with the Direct Connection Hellephant C170 crate engine (another reason for the "170" proof callout in the new Demon model's name), part of the Direct Connection family of Hellephant crate engines that debuted last year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Direct Connection is the Dodge brand's factory-backed performance parts lineup.
Staggered drag radials and fender flares: first for a factory production car
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 arrives as the first-ever factory production car built with staggered drag radial tires and fender flares, a set up that creates more launch force compared to the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody.
Dodge worked closely over many months with Mickey Thompson Tires to develop applications exclusively for the Challenger SRT Demon 170, which were crucial to the vehicle achieving maximum traction under extreme acceleration.
Massive 17-by-11-inch rear wheels accommodate wider, taller and higher-profile Mickey Thompson P315/50R17 ET Street R drag radials that provide a large contact footprint. Developed exclusively for the Challenger SRT Demon 170 by Mickey Thompson Tires, this bespoke version of the ET Street R drag radials features added grooves for improved on-street performance. Mickey Thompson's soft R2 compound provides superior traction and the ET Street R uses a nylon body for greater power transfer compared to standard polyester sidewalls. Increased sidewall height when combined with the tire construction allows for a "wrinkle effect," improving power transfer and reducing tire slip.
Smaller 18-by-8-inch front wheels keep weight and rolling resistance down and fit Mickey Thompson 245/55R18 ET Street front tires, optimized for the drag strip. The lighter-weight front set helps transfer weight to the rear and delivers a significantly higher coefficient traction when compared to street tires used on similar surfaces.
Rear Widebody fender flares cover the Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag radials in the back, while standard configuration front fenders keep weight down by 17 pounds.
Next-generation TransBrake 2.0
TransBrake 2.0, a second-generation version of the first-ever feature that debuted on the original 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, is reborn with patent-pending updates that allow the driver to configure and select from multiple launch-torque profiles to match the engine power delivery to specific track conditions, technology used in competitive drag racing. TransBrake 2.0 is accessed quickly through an easily reachable new button located near the center console, taking the driver straight to the TransBrake Performance Page on the main display screen.
Drivers can dial-in launch and shift torque settings with a memory function that can be customized to different grip surfaces - high grip, medium grip or low grip - to choose the increased engine torque and vehicle launch settings that best fit the surface on which the vehicle is running.
TransBrake allows engine throttle to be increased up to 2,350 rpm and generates greater powertrain energy with maximum torque converter multiplication, an up to 110% increase in engine stall torque compared to brake torque, and produces up to 15% more torque at the rear tires during launch.
As with the original Demon, TransBrake will work in conjunction with another of the vehicle's purpose-built features, Torque Reserve, which is automatically enabled when using Launch Control and TransBrake and also works when using foot torque braking. Torque Reserve opens the throttle and prepositions the supercharger bypass valve, delivering excess air, and controls torque supply by changing spark events and timing. Torque Reserve maintains supercharger airflow, provides faster engine torque response and improved vehicle acceleration and creates a unique exhaust note.
Demon's demeanor
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will be available in all 14 exterior color options for the Challenger, including returning heritage exterior colors B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, plus popular modern color Destroyer Grey. All colors will also be available with an optional unique Satin Black painted hood or a Satin Black painted hood, roof and decklid.
The Challenger SRT Demon 170 badging reimagines the original Demon badge with a "170" neck tattoo and a new E85-representative yellow demon's eye, decorating the front side fenders. An SRT badge adorns the grille. Under the hood, a Demon-themed supercharger badge announces the vehicle's spirit and, as with all 2023 Challenger models, it boasts a special commemorative "Last Call" plaque.
Inside, a yellow and red Demon instrument panel badge calls out the four-digit VIN. A new Challenger SRT Demon 170-specific cluster screen shares a red gauge design, with a red Demon 170 main cluster graphic. The Alcantara performance steering wheel carries an LED "SRT" logo, and real carbon-fiber bezels add to the performance feel of the interior.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 comes with a lightweight houndstooth cloth interior sporting the Demon 170 logo on the driver seat. The cloth interior cuts content to minimize weight and maximize performance, featuring standard passenger seat delete, rear seat delete, trunk carpet delete, sound insulation delete, trunk light and dress delete and bright pedal delete, along with a minimal two-speaker audio system.
A premium leather interior option adds more content and customer-convenience features, with black Alcantara/Laguna leather seats carrying the Demon 170 logo, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, an 18-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with a Harman Kardon amplifier and trunk-mounted sub, and more. Distinctive Demonic Red Laguna leather seats provide yet another colorful alternative for those looking to dress up the inside. All interior options have rear seat delete available.
2023 Dodge Charger/Challenger "Last Call" highlights
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the seventh and final Dodge "Last Call" special-edition model, commemorating the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. Six Dodge "Last Call" models were previously introduced: the Dodge Challenger Shakedown, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Dodge Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, Dodge Charger King Daytona and Dodge Challenger Black Ghost.
In addition to the seven "Last Call" special-edition models, Dodge is also celebrating its 2023 model lineup by bringing back three beloved heritage exterior colors, B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green, plus one popular modern color, Destroyer Grey. 2023 Charger and Challenger R/T models will also feature new "345" fender badging, a callout to the 345-cubic-inch HEMI engine under the hood, and all 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger models will carry a special commemorative "Last Call" underhood plaque.
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