Video: Move Over Hellcat, Your Evil Twin Is Coming To Town

demonlogodarksmWhen the Dodge Hellcat rumors first started flying a couple of years ago, it almost immediately began fanning the flame wars on musclecar forums all over. Then the car was launched as the most powerful musclecar ever produced, and it had people scrambling to find horsepower figures from the likes of big-block Camaros, Boss 429 Mustangs, and other famous hulks from decades past.

The target audience for the Hellcat wasn’t necessarily Mopar owners, but enthusiasts who wanted the fastest and the most powerful musclecar you could buy. CEO and SRT Brand Predisdent Tim Kuniskis had stated that they knew they were at a deficit in the handling department with the bulky Challenger, so they told their engineers to just make the car stupid fast. The result of that tall order was the 707 horsepower supercharged Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.

15Hellcat-002Then another claim was made, and it, too, had enthusiasts reaching into the past to prove Dodge wrong again. The Hellcat was then claimed as the fastest musclecar ever with a quarter-mile time of 11.2 on stock tires. Enthusiasts were again on the forums claiming certain cars from the 1960s turned quicker ETs than the Hellcat Challenger. After attempts to debunk the claims were unfruitful, the “fat cat” comments dominated conversations, despite the fact that it was a mere two people heavier than competing musclecars.

A year later, Dodge trumped the “fat cat” claims with the Hellcat Charger, a car that bested the Hellcat Challenger’s quarter mile time with an NHRA certified 11.0 seconds, and doing so with about 100 more pounds than the Challenger’s 4,400 pounds. As Kuniskis said, “Let’s just get crazy with the horsepower and shut everybody up.”

demonshot4

But getting people to shut up was probably not exactly what Kuniskis had in mind, because the Hellcat did everything but shut people up. So what does this mad scientist holding the reigns at Dodge and SRT do as a follow up to the Hellcat? Dodge is starting to flow out some teaser videos, with the first one introducing the Demon – “Domestic. Not Domesticated.”

This campaign seems to be aimed at the quarter mile, with quotes such as, “Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture.” Those were the words of Kuniskis, who continued, “The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car and a half second is your reputation.” Beware, Ford and Chevy, the bar is being raised yet again.

Stories about this new variant of the Hellcat are claims that the Demon will put the Hellcat to shame. So what does that all mean? If the Demon is anything like the hype that preceded the Hellcat, we could have another insane competitor in the musclecar market and it surely is a great time to be alive.

The reflection in the glasses confirms that the Demon is on the current Challenger platform, but what can possibly be more evil than a 707 horsepower Hellcat? All we know is that it's going to start up those flame wars on the Ford and Chevy forums all over again.

Mopar fans are familiar with the Demon name from the 1970s when the Dodge Demon (A Body) was more of a cutesy devil with a pitchfork, but this offspring of the Hellcat is a bit more sinister. Already we’re starting to hear the collective masses fueling up to fan those flames once again, and Dodge is right there instigating it all once again.

We all know the Hellcat engine is capable of much more power than its production tune of 707 horsepower, so what can the engineers have possibly come up with? Our sources tell us to expect a beast of a Hellcat Hemi and about 850 horsepower. We’ve seen tuned Hellcats reach that level, so we know it’s possible.

All we can do is sit back and wait, and be sure to tune into the weekly videos Dodge has slated to show up on the IfYouKnowYouKnow.com website. For now, it’s an animated CGI beast; Dodge has never been one to be lacking in the theatrics department when it comes to horsepower. Stay tuned, they promise more before the New York International Auto Show.

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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