2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

It’s so fast that it’s the second Challenger SRT banned by the National Hot Rod Association. We’re talking about the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. It’s an audacious way to end Dodge’s HEMI-powered muscle car trip. The Demon is dead, long live the Demon, or something like that. Napleton News has spent time in a variety of Demon models. We had a blast in most of them. We only wish we had a fuel tank in our backyard to fill its tank following a run to the grocery store.

A Hellraiser? Hell yeah!

Through the years, Dodge has turned the horsepower wars on their respective ears. Start with the SRT Hellcat, back in 2015. It checked in with an unbelievable 707 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI engine. It dusted the quarter mile in just under 12 seconds at over 126 mph. 2018’s Hellcat Demon came next, making 840 mph and topping out at 140 mph. That was enough to earn it an instant NHRA ban until owners had properly installed a roll bar and other safety equipment. Dodge took the notoriety of the ban and ran with it as fast as it could, using it in all the advertising to come after the restrictions were imposed.

The Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye was next to arrive in 2019. Its power was reduced to a more subtle (as if) 797 horsepower, with a quarter-mile speed of 125 mph. The 2020 model year SRT Super Stock Challenger. It featured drag radials and a beefed-up suspension capable of taking the loads that drag racing subjects to a car. Top speed on the dragstrip for the Super Stock clicks in at 131 mph.

The last of many.

For 2023, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the end of the line. This is the last car in the “Last Call” roundup of Dodge muscle cars. To mark the occasion, the Dodge boys have flicked off everyone with an SRT car that achieves 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque from its 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI. Oh, that 170 in the name? That’s telling you the engine achieves these numbers through 170-proof ethanol fuel. That’s why the larger than large hood scoop reads alcohol injected. Don’t have any of that rocket fuel handy? That’s okay. This monster V8 is good for 900 horsepower and 810 lb-ft of torque on 91 octane fuel.

The engine has been modified to handle the extra stress it will receive from Dodge’s Hellephant crate engine. Along with that, a new driveshaft is 30 percent stronger while the rear axle housing has also been rebuilt.

Direct Connection to the rescue.

What about factory approved shocks, brakes, seats and other high performance parts? The Mopar Direct Connection division is your source for the best in go-fast goodies. And when it’s time to slow down again, they’ll even sell you a parachute.

Coming soon to a dealership near you.

Orders for the new 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 begin this spring. Prices are expected to be in the low six-figure range but watch out for the dreaded market adjustment rate to crop up as well. With only 3,000 copies available, the Demon 170 will be in short supply in relatively short order.