In 2018, Dodge answered a question that nobody asked with the muscle car to end all muscle cars, the Challenger SRT Demon. Street & Racing Technology (SRT) fans were delighted to watch a Challenger variation do a wheelie at a drag strip and outsprint every other production car on the planet at the time. Still, it begs the question, why would Dodge allocate engineering and marketing power to create a halo car like the Challenger SRT Demon?

Why did Dodge produce the Challenger SRT Demon?

You get the impression that Dodge and the mad scientists at SRT built the car for one purpose: to dominate by smashing records as fast as its quarter-mile time. Dodge’s Challenger halo car started by proving itself the only road car in production capable of a wheelie. If that wasn’t enough, the SRT monster also sported an official 0-60 time of 2.3 seconds, and then the best time of 2.1 seconds. That made it the fastest accelerating production car worldwide until other brutally quick cars arrived. 

In addition to that 0-60 sprint, the Challenger SRT Demon could cover the quarter-mile in just 9.65 seconds at over 140 mph. That made it the fastest production car in the world in the quarter-mile. So, clearly, the wild minds at Dodge built this drag-strip weapon not to compete in the muscle car wars but to end them. 

Why did Dodge stop making the Demon?

Tim Kuniskis, then-head of passenger cars at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), said that the Demon was deliberately discontinued. He told Muscle Cars and Trucks that the vehicle is limited to 3,300 partly out of respect for the fans that bought the Demon. “You know what would happen if those 3,300 people that paid a lot of money for a serialized car, do you know what they would do to me if we brought it back?” said Kuniskis. 

All joking aside, it seems that Kuniskis and company produced the car to showcase its powerful capabilities and retire, like a pro-athlete retiring on top. 

What did the big Dodge do poorly? 

The Demon was a purpose-built drag racing machine that met government standards for road-going cars. As a result, it was dynamite at rocketing down a prepped drag surface, often faster than the highest tier hypercars and electric sensations. However, it is a true muscle car, and coaxing it through corners at the same speed as, say, a McLaren Senna, just isn’t going to happen. Also, Dodge deleted components like sound deadening and speakers to save weight, so it won’t be quite as refined an environment as a Challenger SRT Hellcat. 

Can you still buy a Dodge Demon?

Since Dodge discontinued the Demon after 3,300 units, you can’t buy a Demon from Stellantis. However, you can watch popular auction sites like Bring a Trailer to find Demons that go up for auction. Still, don’t expect to pay the roughly $85,000 Dodge wanted for the car upon release. Instead, you can expect to pay over $100,000 for your hilariously fast muscle car. 

Scroll down to the following article to read more about the Dodge Challenger and its variations!