Video: Dodge Drops Latest Challenger SRT Demon Series With “Crate”

stanceFor the past couple of weeks, we’ve been teased by the folks at Dodge about the new Challenger SRT Demon – a car that is said to make the Hellcat look weak. This, in itself, has many recent Hellcat buyers a little bothered by the fact that they’ve dropped down more than 65 Gs without knowing what lurks around the corner.

Still, the only possible pacifier to the latest teasers from Dodge is that the alleged 850 horsepower Demon will likely cost far more than the Hellcat. It’s been difficult to speculate exactly what will become of this latest “Domestic – Not Domesticated” beast from Ma Mopar, but with the first four videos released: Cage, Reduction, Body, and now Crate; one can only speculate that the Demon will definitely give the Ford and Chevy guys more fodder to complain about.

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Let’s see what we have here…

Let’s look at what we’ve found thus far:

  • The Cage video showed us that the Hellcat Challenger is the basis for the new Demon.
  • The Reduction video let us know that the Challenger Demon is going to be a bit lighter.
  • The allegedly leaked photos showed us that the Demon was not going to be wearing 20-inch wheels and tires, instead it will have 18x11s front and rear.
  • The Body video gave us a glimpse at the ass end, showing some wide tires and flares all around.

What we have heard rumors about is that the Demon could be AWD, seeing as it’s supposedly squared up with Nitto NT05R Drag Radials at all four corners. While some have stated, rightfully so, that Dodge might not have an AWD transmission in place to contain the kind of power that the Demon possesses, it wouldn’t make much sense to put a drag radial on the front unless you needed some traction. Others speculate that the spinning tires in the Body video would indicate that it’s only a RWD because, even at 850 horsepower, would the car be spinning all four tires? You be the judge of that. The latest press release suggests no AWD.

crate5

After retrieving his tools, the Demon stands before a pair of skinnies on Demon wheels, contemplating his next victim at the dragstrip, perhaps?

For now, we’ll have to let our minds wander a little further with the latest video, Crate, which implies that Demon owners could get a few extra performance accessories with their beast. In this video, we see a crate opening where tools used to change wheels/tires are being retrieved by the mystery demon in the racing gear. An air gun, a torque wrench, and a floor jack lead us to believe that it’s time to go racing – especially given the extra set of skinnies laid out with his tools, which also includes a pressure gauge. These tools are said to be branded with the Demon emblem, and perhaps a return of Direct Connection for Mopar lovers? The latest press release would indicate so.

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“The Demon Crate holds 18 components that maximize the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon’s flexibility, exclusivity and future collectability.” -FCA

An additional image in an FCA press release shows a customized plate that is available for each crate, with the owners name on it. In the release, FCA states, “The Challenger SRT Demon provides a platform from which each customer can design their own ultimate “Street/Strip” muscle car. It’s not intended for a road course; rather, each customer can decide at the time of order, or once they own the car, or even on a moment’s notice that they want their car to favor street performance, drag strip performance or something in between.”

This would suggest that AWD is not an option as we were told by one source, and the wide tires all around would strictly be for the street, with a pair of skinnies for the strip. Another item pointed out is the numbering on the VIN plate above: serial number 757 and VIN 1121. Could this mean that the Demon is running 757 horsepower in standard form, with perhaps 1121 horsepower with the push of the “Race Gas” button said to be on the dash? This could be a whole new conversation about black key/red key, as the numbering is rather suspicious.

crate6

How many wouldn’t mind just having this crate, full or empty? We would love to have one! Inside the box is 18 performance components including the skinnies for drag racing that can be changed out. Will the crate fit in the trunk of the Challenger, though? That’s a good question, it would need to be taken with the car in order to swap the fronts out whenever the owner sees fit.

About the author

Michael Harding

Michael is a Power Automedia contributor and automotive enthusiast who doesn’t discriminate. Although Mopar is in his blood, he loves any car that looks great and drives even faster.
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