Demonic Pleasure - When Dodge produced the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, they set the bar high!

When Dodge 42 42

november 2020 | RPM Magazine

Story and photos

by Eddie Maloney

e produced the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, they set the bar high! www.rpmmag.com

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I

n pop culture, the word Demon has often been associated with evil.

When it comes to looks and horsepower most can typically agree with that sentiment when it comes to the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. When Dodge unleashed the 2018 Demon to the world at the New York International Auto Show, jaws dropped. Over 800 horsepower, potential mid 9-second ¼ mile times, and a warranty? Sign us up! The 2018 Demon caused quite a stir in the muscle car and drag racing community when it was introduced. In a private test session, the Demon ran a mid 9 second ¼-mile pass at over 140 miles per hour. While this was done in near perfect conditions and with a professional driver wheeling it, it prompted a controversial letter from the NHRA. In order to run a 9 second, ¼ mile elapsed time, you need quite a few things, such as a certified roll

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november 2020 | RPM Magazine

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon set the industry standard producing over 800 horsepower and 717 lb. ft of torque on just 91 octane fuel. Dodge claims the Demon to be the highest horsepower rated V8 production car ever produced.

The functional scooped Demon hood is said to be the largest functioning hood scoop on a production car.

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So many aspects of the cars are Demon-specific, including the braking system.

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november 2020 | RPM Magazine

We are a huge fan of the muscle car rake Palma chose when he went with a set of Billet Specialties Win Lite wheels, 17x10 Drag Pack single beadlock rears and 18x5 front runners.

From the back the Demon looks all go with the wing, big exhaust and wide, minimally treaded tires.

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For an extra dollar, yes $1, Demon buyers could purchase extras like the Crate package which comes with some trick equipment and takes away other stuff non-essential to going fast in favor of weight savings. Most of what you see here, skinny front wheels, floor jack etc, came with this Demon. cage, competition license, and several other safety items. The Dodge Demon is often compared to the SRT Hellcat model, while they share many similarities, there are definite

differences. The Demon is a purpose-built drag car from the factory, with options!

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november 2020 | RPM Magazine

production cars, the Demon is different, a whole lot different! Advertised

by Dodge as having “the highest horsepower of any production car”, it is as serious as any in the

pages of RPM and guess what, most cars we cover started over 30 years ago with a lot less power and capabilities than the Demon, so sit down, hold on and shut up, we’re headed

The Demon sports a 6.2-liter V8 HEMI with forged rotating assembly and enhanced oiling and is topped by a 2.8 liter supercharger.

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Despite the rear seat delete, the Demon offers all the modern accoutrements on the inside that you could ask for. Cruz made a few additions to the interior of the car including custom floor mats and an upgraded paint matched roll cage.

Oh oh, the RED key fob!

The red fob is the Drag Mode fob and unlocks the universe to the pleasure of all things leading to 840 horsepower!

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november 2020 | RPM Magazine

into Demon country!

We met up with Cruz Palma of Mission Hills, California to shoot his rare F8 green, 2018 Dodge Demon. We asked him what his inspiration behind the purchase of his Demon was.

“There are many Hellcat Chargers and Challengers in Southern California and I contemplated picking up one of those,” tells Cruz. “That is until I saw the Demon variance and I knew I just had to find one. I have different toys, but one common theme between all of them is that they are all powerful.

The Dodge Demon gave me the best of both worlds, gobs of power and the modern amenities to go with it.” It wasn’t an easy find for Cruz though, as he specifically wanted the F8 green option. According to Dodge, only 134 of these were produced. The MSRP base price for a Demon was in the mid 80k range but supply and demand caused dealer fueled price increases to over 100k!

The Owner’s Manual Supplement supplied with a Demon instructs owners on drag racing the cars and even has drag race run logs, seriously! The log’s table includes lines for reaction time, 60 and 330-foot times along with 1/8th and 1/4-mile ET and MPH, the number of runs on your

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Cruz Palma’s 2018 DODGE DEMON Chassis Type & Mods: STOCK Suspension: STOCK Body & Paint:

F8 Green with clear Bra on entire vehicle

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• For cars, trucks, hot rods, and competition vehicles.

• Patented safety interlock design is safer and more durable than O.E.M. mounts.

• Resistant to oils, coolants, and road contaminants.

• Elastic enough to absorb vibrations for street yet strong enough to handle extreme racing conditions. %JTUSJCVUFE CZ

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Air dams and functional air openings everywhere help keep the Demon cool under pressure.

tires and the front and rear tire pressure. Now tell us that isn’t cool!

Regardless of your brand loyalty, you have to admit this is one bad production car! The manual goes on to explain how certain Drag Mode features, such as the Line Lock and Launch Control, are not available until you drive your first 500 miles of engine break in. Everything from the engine to the steering and suspension has a Drag Mode and even the cabin AC is disabled when you are in it.

The Demon is advertised as featuring a 0-60 mph time of 2.1 to 2.3 seconds and a 0-100 mph time of 5.1 seconds. Quarter-mile times were initially posted of between 9.54 and 9.65 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph (or more), depending on the source.

The fact is that the Demon was unmatched by most any production car, even those worth four times the price.

Power wise, Palma’s blown Demon starts with a 6.2-liter V8 HEMI with forged rotating assembly and enhanced oiling. The mill is topped by a 2.8 liter supercharger that produces 808 horsepower and 717 lb-ft of torque on 91 octane gas for the street and an advertised 840 hp and 770 lbft of torque on 100+ octane race gas.

Each Dodge Demon has 2 keys, the black key fob limits horsepower to 500, while the red key fob unlocks the up to 840 horses of fun. Backing the HEMI is an 8-speed 8HP90 TorqueFlite automatic transmission with the

world’s first factory installed transmission brake. A high stall converter ensures solid launches and a 3.0 mm thick driveshaft tube all but guarantees the power makes it back to the 3.09:1 geared independent rear diff built specifically for the Demon that even bears the Demon name cast into the finned aluminum cover.

Because this is a fairly well-appointed production vehicle (should you choose the optional 19-speaker 900 watt audio system, passenger seat, power sunroof etc.) the Demon can weigh in at a hefty 4280 pounds. We could go on for pages about everything Dodge put on the table when it produced the Demon, but we just don’t have the space, suffice it to say that for now, and for many years down the road, this will be the production car to beat, and we don’t necessarily mean on the track.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon had a limited run of just 3,300 units, and just this one year of production. Succeeding the Demon from 2019 until present day is the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. While impressive unto itself, many are anxiously awaiting to see of their will be a return of the Demon.

While Cruz has not run his Demon down the drag strip yet, he plans too very soon, now that his is making over 900 HP on E85 fuel and has a legal rollcage. Of course, he’ll have to use the red key fob!

RPM

A number of items inside and out such as the dash design and fuel door are reminiscent of the first generation Challenger, but not the 8.4” interactive display screen that can provide engine horsepower and torque readings, supercharger temp and various performance numbers for any run.

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