You’ve seen the special editions, video teasers, and even a car dangling from a helicopter for Dodge’s 2023 model year. Still, even with the automaker’s announcement that it’ll discontinue the Dodge Challenger and Charger with the Last Call models, the Mopar muscle cars have dominated sales, screens, and the horsepower wars for 2023.

What muscle car has the most horsepower ever?

The most powerful production car in history is the new 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The hellaciously powerful 170 produces 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a supercharged 6.2L V8 with an appetite for 170-proof E85 ethanol fuel mixtures. 

Moreover, the Demon 170 is the automaker’s Bill Pulman-in-Independence Day last word for the horsepower wars. The Dodge model bookended the marque’s Last Call lineup, a series of celebratory models to send off the Challenger and Charger. As a result, fans of the American (well, Canadian in the Challenger’s case) performance car segment have had multiple reminders that the Dodge models aren’t going quietly. 

In addition to the Last Call lineup, Dodge’s SRT Hellcat models have the highest horsepower figures of any mass-production model lineup in the domestic muscle car market. For instance, the Ford Mustang’s lineup was devoid of a Shelby badge for 2023. As a result, the most potent Mustang until the arrival of the upcoming 2024 Dark Horse is the 480-horsepower Mach 1. 

What records did the new Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 break?

Dodge’s swan song Challenger isn’t just the most powerful car of its kind; it’s the fastest. The SRT Demon 170 hits 60 mph in 1.66 seconds on ethanol and finishes a quarter-mile drag in 8.91 seconds. As a result, the automaker’s wheel-standing lunatic is the fastest, most violently-accelerating production muscle car ever, per PR Newswire. 

What is the number one selling muscle car?

In addition to dominating the horsepower conversation for the muscle car segment, the Dodge Challenger outsold its closest competitors, the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. Specifically, Dodge sold 55,060 Challengers in 2022, around 7,494 more than the Ford model. 

The news is even worse when it comes to a comparison between the Mopar and the Chevrolet Camaro. General Motors sold just 24,652 Camaros in 2022, less than half as many as Dodge’s popular coupe.

Is Dodge discontinuing its muscle car models?

To add to the Dodge dominance of 2023, the automaker is discontinuing its Challenger and Charger models. As a result, fans’ screens have been polluted with reminders from Dodge itself, automotive publications, and enthusiasts that the curtain is closing. 

Moreover, Dodge isn’t sending the models off into the sunset without almost excessive pomp and circumstance. The Last Call lineup features seven outrageous offerings that some fans are hailing as historic homages and critics label as money grabs.

What is the last ‘real’ muscle car?

Depending on your definition of the term, the 2023 Dodge Challenger is the last “real” muscle car. It’s big, powerful, heavy, raucous, and fast. However, if the new grand tourer-esque S650 Ford Mustang or 2024 Chevrolet Camaro fits your definition, both are serious contenders with optional V8 power.

Moreover, the Blue Oval’s decision to renew the Mustang for the model’s seventh generation just as Dodge and Stellantis discontinued its popular Mopar coupe makes it a holdout in a dwindling segment.