The Dodge Demon 170 Is the Final Gas-Powered Mopar Muscle Car
After months of teasing and project delays, Dodge is finally ready to send off its beloved muscle car pairing with the final Last Call special edition model. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, announced Monday night, is a 1025-horsepower drag-racing special and the most extreme vehicle to come from the automaker yet. Here’s everything you need to know about the new corn-fed Challenger capable of running NHRA-certified ¼ mile times in the Eights.
From the onset of the Demon 170 program, Dodge’s team of engineers had three main goals for the muscle-car sendoff: it needed to make 1000 horsepower, it needed to run eights, and it needed to break 2 seconds in the 0-60 mph sprint. In order to accomplish those tasks, the team looked to the range-topping Demon from 2018 as a starting point, the automaker told Road & Track.
The Demon has remained the most potent variant of the Dodge family up until this point, with up to 840 horsepower available when using race gas and the requisite ECU. That limited-production dragster also packed unique hardware outside the engine bay, including bespoke suspension front and rear as well as a trans brake for optimal launches on a prepared surface. This new model isn’t simply a Demon turned up to 11, as the team quickly discovered that the older Demon components weren’t up to the task at hand. In fact, the camshaft is the only primary engine component from the 2018 car that remains unchanged in this application.
The Demon 170 receives revised pistons, rods, bearings, a new crankshaft, and billet main caps to cope with its four-digit output targets. A larger 105-mm throttle body works in tandem with a revised 3.0-liter supercharger to feed the monstrous 6.2-liter V-8 air, while upgraded injectors flow up to 164 gallons of fuel per hour, which is a higher flow rate than the shower head in your bathroom. The resulting 2500 psi of cylinder pressure is 25 percent higher than the outgoing Demon when running on race gas, as well as 50 percent higher than those found in a roadgoing Challenger Redeye model. That means the new engine also requires beefier studs to keep the heads in place.
Whereas the previous Demon needed race gas, the Demon 170 has been programmed to utilize a wide range of ethanol mixes. The Demon 170 name itself is actually a reference to the proof of the corn-based fuel. The ECU is able to adjust the tune parameters based on what fuel balance is present, providing a maximum output of 1025 horsepower and 945 Ib-ft of torque on E85. With full power available, Dodge says the Demon can do 0-60 mph in just 1.66 seconds on a prepared surface. The company also claims the muscle car does so with 2.004 gs of accelerative force, which is the most of any production vehicle on sale. Stick your foot in it and the Demon 170 is capable of ripping off an NHRA-certified quarter-mile time of 8.91 seconds at 151.17 mph. Those sorts of numbers mean the Demon 170 is technically banned for NHRA competition due to its lack of a roll cage or parachute, though customers will be able to purchase said components from Dodge’s Direct Connection parts program.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 can also run on traditional e10 fuel and it's still able to provide up to 900 horsepower and 810 lb-ft on pump gas. In order to make the best use of that power, Dodge has revised the hardware package for the Demon this time around.
Take the lack of front fender flares for example, which help save 16 pounds compared to the outgoing variant. Every driveline component affixed to the Demon 170 has been strengthened, with Dodge turning to Hot Isostatic Pressing to make component housings. The axles themselves are over 50 percent stronger than before, while the rear differential receives new geometries. The TransBrake 2.0 system backing the 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission is also simpler to use than before, no longer requiring so much finesse at the start line. Perhaps more importantly, drivers can now use the system to precisely dial in torque at different parts of the run. This can help limit wheel slip and simplify the pedal work required during competitive passes. The suspension system has also been reworked to limit rise on launch, instead working to turn that energy into forward motion faster than before. The Demon 170 is also the first production car to wear a staggered drag radial from the factory, rocking 245/55/R18 front and 315/50/R17 rear Mickey Thompson ETs. The tires come wrapped around an optional set of carbon fiber and aluminum wheels, which save 157 pounds when compared to the Challenger Redeye. Behind those wheels sit a set of four-piston Brembo brakes front and rear, which should be sufficient for this 4280-pounder dragster.
As one would expect from a limited-production model, the Demon 170 features a ton of bespoke visual features. The hood itself is reminiscent of the Demon’s unit, but features a unique alcohol-injected script. The tweaked Demon badge also now features a “170” neck tattoo, as well as a yellow eye to help passers-by identify the ethanol-drinking Mopar. The engine block has actually been painted to match this yellow hue, mirroring the red Hemi block found in the Demon. That yellow theme continues inside where you’ll find bright accent stitching, unique badging, and a serialized dash plate. Customers have four interior trims to choose from, including lightweight single-seat finished in cloth, a full cloth interior, Black Nappa leather with Alcantara, or Demonic Red Laguna leather appointments. There are 14 fan-favorite exterior hues for customers to choose from.
Dodge will build a maximum of 3,300 Demon 170s, with 3000 targeted for the U.S. market and 300 set aside for Canada. That said, Dodge is only going to be allowed to build these things through the end of 2023 before emissions regulations force the product line to the side. That means it is quite possible that we won’t get the full production run completed if any production constraints arise during these final months. It is also worth noting that previous Demon customers will get the first right of refusal on Demon 170 VINs. Of course they’ll have to be willing to pony up at least $96,666 excluding destination for the privilege. Dodge has plans to push build slots sold above MSRP to the back of the line, which it hopes will curb high markups on these machines. Either way, there’s going to be a massive list of folks who want their chance at owning the last traditional muscle car.
What a way to say goodbye.
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