After months of teasing and more hints, half-reveals, and hype than perhaps any production car before it, Dodge finally revealed everything we wanted to know about its brand new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. The Demon, which is like an over-the-top performance version of the already insane 707 horsepower Challenger Hellcat, boasts an astounding 840 horsepower and acceleration times that would make even seasoned track junkies drool. The problem? It’s already officially banned from drag strips.
The Demon’s official track numbers are gaudy to say the least, with a 0-60 time of just 2.3 seconds and a quarter mile time of 9.65 seconds at 140 mph. Its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 puts out 770 lb-ft of torque along with the aforementioned 840 ponies. However, the drag times are so impressive that the NHRA — which operates official drag strips from coast to coast — refuses to allow it to be run, at least in its stock form.
NHRA rules limit the amount of power and the speeds at which vehicles can be raced at its tracks by requiring specific licenses and safety precautions once a car reaches certain performance levels. Cars that can run a quarter mile in less than 9.99 seconds and at speeds of greater than 135 mph require some pretty extensive additional safety measures be taken.
In short, the Demon is so fast and powerful that in order to race one at an NHRA track it would need to be equipped with a roll cage, which it doesn’t have from the factory, and the driver would need an NHRA Competition License, along with a full fire suit and helmet. That’s some serious power.
