It’s not surprising that many people are wondering what the horsepower numbers will be for the much anticipated Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. We’ve gotten clues all along about this beast from the crafty minds at Dodge, from the first video where the “Hellcat” type creature bit into a racing fuel can and transformed into the “Demon”, to the latest where we actually see the race fuel button. From the beginning, that button was flying just below radar and there really wasn’t much talk about it, but it was brought up from time to time in forums.

We were told by our source that we should expect about 850 horsepower from the beginning, despite other articles claiming that nobody “has a friend” who is feeding them numbers. We felt confident, and we searched for the clues divvied out by Dodge with every weekly video from the IfYouKnowYouKnow website, dedicated to the Demon.

When the Hellcat was first announced, we spoke to our sources and published in May 2014 that horsepower would be “in the neighborhood of 700 horsepower” – and we were told we were wrong by other media sources. Later it was announced in a video released by FCA on June 1, 2014, to be 707 horsepower – right on par with our number.

When we saw that Dodge had dropped some clues before the official announcement with that “70s on 7” screen shot, that made us wonder about all of the clues Dodge was dropping about the upcoming Demon. There are still some that have to be explained, like the 3.9+221=405. So far, we don’t think anyone has figured that one out. Our guess is that 221 could be a top speed for the car. We’re not sure, and haven’t seen an answer to that one yet.

Then we caught the altered tire image, and saw the 815 on the sidewall where it used to read 315 for the tread width. That was sure close to the 850 we were told, and we suggested that 815 is the horsepower in street trim.

We were told the ADR version would be just over 1,000 horsepower, but we knew that would not be street legal. We were also told the ADR is a replacement for the Drag Pack, but that it’s a separate car based on the Demon.

Then the number 757 started showing up on screens, as did a shot of graphs with the boost blocked out by the Demon logo. A quick and simple assessment to the graphs revealed that all three graphs had the exact same path, and that path made little sense for the A/FR or the intake air temperature.

When we overlaid that repeated line over the Demon logo, it put the boost right about 17 psi for the supercharger, which we had calculated earlier. When the #2567@35 license plate showed up, we figured that the blower would be 2.567 liters (2.6) at 35 Hg (inches of Mercury), which translated to 17.19 psi. We were also told that we were wrong there, but that graph sure looks like it’s matching up to our guess.

Our guesses were that the Demon would have a base horsepower rating of 757, and with a press of a button (or a simple tune, perhaps through the Performance Pages) that 815 horsepower can be achieved. We were told we were wrong there, too, and we expected that.

Of course, with only 757 horsepower, it’s not really as impressive as many had hoped, with tuned Hellcats going much further than that. With 815 horsepower, that would be impressive, and we still have to remember that the car must be sold to regular customers through the showroom, meaning it has to be 50-state legal – including California.

Now, with the anticipation of the Demon’s release in New York on April 11, about 7:30 PM EST, everyone is on the edge of their seats. But then the numbers were allegedly leaked this weekend, and they come in as follows:

• Stage 1 will be 757 horsepower
• Stage 2 will be 815 horsepower
• Stage 3 will be 1023 horsepower

Stage 3, we’re being told through these alleged leaks, requires three conditions to be met:

• Race fuel of 100+ octane
• Additional purchase of the Demon Crate, which includes a tuned PCM (Powertrain Control Module)
• Drag mode initiated, which we imagine would be that HO button on the dash that we see in the latest video.

These three conditions being met would render the car not street legal but would allow the engine to run in a higher rpm range and take full advantage of the supercharger and race gas. Remember the Hellcat eating the racing fuel to become the Demon in the first video? There you have it. Dodge has gone all out with the Demon, with emphasis on making the fastest production musclecar even faster. It’s safe to say that we can forget “red key/black key” with the Demon.

Breathing is enhanced with the Air Grabber intake and launching is enhanced with torque control; we wonder if Ford or Chevy will even come close to the Demon’s power – without hitting up an outside tuner to modify the stock vehicle. Remember: the Demon is a stock, off the showroom floor vehicle and made for drag racing. The Mustang and Camaro can battle it out for best times at Nurburgring, where they seem to be much more impressive than the Challenger.

So now our question is this: Is Stage 3 officially the ADR (American Drag Racer) that we heard about that would have over 1,000 horsepower? And just who will be able to buy this Crate Kit that can transform the car into a race Demon? Perhaps we’ll all find out the answers to all of our questions tomorrow night. We’ll definitely be watching!