In a post-Viper world, the Challenger has become the object of Dodge and SRT’s performance affections. The 707-hp, hybrid-car-baiting Challenger Hellcat is as fine a place to start on additional variants as any—and that’s just what Dodge is doing in resurrecting an old nameplate, Demon. Now comes a bit more information that seems to confirm the SRT Demon will be a ferocious drag-racing, well, demon.
In previous drips of info—here is the first, and here is the second—Dodge said we can expect the Demon to be more than 200 pounds lighter than the Hellcat, much of which is due to the removal of the rear seats and other interior trimmings. It’ll also have its own steering, suspension, and brake setups. And we think we’ve learned some additional things about the car from the image above—specifically, its torque output at the driven wheels in first gear (crankshaft torque multiplied by first-gear ratio and final-drive ratio, divided by driven wheels) and how many of those wheels may be driven. The car is wearing a license plate that says “#2576@35,” which we interpret to mean that it will make 2576 lb-ft of torque at 3500 rpm, again, to each driven wheel. Considering the rear-drive Hellcat makes 4010 lb-ft at each driven wheel, the Demon’s lower figure in comparison may mean it will feature all-wheel drive.
Another clue is that the Demon will ride on lightweight 18 x 11-inch wheels wrapped in four 315/40 Nitto NT05R drag radials; they’re DOT certified and street legal, but they’re essentially slicks with a couple of grooves in them. The tires have been further developed and reworked with a new compound and construction specifically for the car—check out the Demon logo molded right into the sidewall—and Dodge claims the Demon will be the first production car ever to be sold with drag radials off the lot.
But it makes little sense to fit drag radials to the front wheels unless those wheels are driven; that said, Dodge and SRT would have to remove massive amounts of weight from a Hellcat to add an all-wheel-drive system and still come in 200 pounds trimmer.
In addition, one of the two new images gives us the best view we’ve had yet of the integrated fender flares, and Dodge says the Demon is three and a half inches wider than the Hellcat. It’s a bit odd that there aren’t any rear badges to differentiate the Demon from the Hellcat, but it’ll surely have the logo on the front quarter-panel, and those fenders are a pretty distinctive calling card. You’ll also notice the wheel has a devil tail stamped in it to further the branding.
The Demon is scheduled to make its debut in April at the New York auto show. Dodge has promised a ton of teasers—11 in all—so we have eight more to go. Let’s hope they’re all as interesting as today’s.
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