The swan song for the V8 Hellcat has finally arrived. Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 has more than a thousand horsepower

After many delays caused by development difficulty, the final piece of the “Last Call” series, the farewell seven variants of the Dodge Challenger coupe, is now out in the world. And if anything is the definition of “muscle car,” it’s him. It’s called the SRT Demon 170 and its parameters are breathtaking.

Let’s start with the engine. Running under the hood is – otherwise – a 6.2-liter Hellcat eight-cylinder engine, which has increased compressor volume to exactly three liters compared to the “regular” Devil’s 2.7 liters. The throttle diameter has also been increased from 92 to 105 mm and the compressor boost pressure has been increased from 1.05 to 1.47 bar.

The result of these and many other modifications is a maximum power of 1039 hp and a torque of 1231 Nm, if you fill it with E85 fuel, that is, a mixture of 15% petrol gasoline and 85% ethanol. For standard E10 fuel, which has a lower octane number and with a lower resistance to detonation, the figures are much lower, but still quite high – 912 hp and 1098 Nm

The car can tell what percentage of ethanol is in the fuel that flows from the tank to the injectors. The driver’s ethanol percentage is displayed on the screen. It then adjusts fuel delivery and ignition timing accordingly to prevent detonation. The highest performance is available when the fuel contains at least 65% ethanol.

What do these displays mean for vehicle dynamics? Acceleration to the “American hundred” from 60 mph, that is, 97 km / h, takes only 1.66 seconds on a prepared racing track with a very sticky surface at the start. The Demon 170 then runs the quarter-mile race in 8.91 seconds with a target speed of 243.28 km/h. The automaker has yet to announce a top speed, but one teaser video from the past suggested a value of 215 mph, which is 346 km/h.

Of note is a system called the SRT Power Chiller, which uses air conditioning to cool the compressed air refrigerant between the supercharger and the intake. This is so that engine performance does not decrease due to overheating of the intake air when racing several times repeatedly.

Power is transmitted to the tarmac by Mickey Thompson racing tires, specially designed for this model. It measures 315/50 R17 in the rear and 245/55 R18 in the front and is not suitable for cold weather or rainy surfaces. The automaker will offer both a straight and second set of tires for the car, which will be more suitable for on-road use.

Bilstein adaptive suspension works with the tires, which have a special mode for quarter-mile sprints. Strengthens the front shock absorber and softens the rear shock absorber. The car also has softer springs and anti-roll bars for better weight transfer at launch, making clear its primary goal – to drive straight as fast as possible.

Performance is supported by the TransBrake 2.0 system, which allows the driver to set the specifics of steep starts in several profiles depending on the track they are currently on. The Demon 170 also manages to brake the front wheels only so the driver can warm up the rear tires by slipping before takeoff. There is also a brake parachute, which along with the roll cage is required inside the car on racetracks if the car is that powerful.

Finally, what does the number 170 mean? It’s a reference to the seven-liter, one-thousand-horsepower Hellephant engine, which was available separately for some individual racing cars. Its designation in the catalog is C170. Also, this number is a reference to the fact that ethanol diluted to 85% by volume would be labeled “170 proof” in stores, just as 40% spirits might be labeled “80 proof” in the United States.

The car will be available to order in the US from the end of March, starting at $96,666 (2.16 million kronor), and customers will only be able to have one cloth seat in the car to reduce weight. You can also omit the soundproofing of the cabin and the carpet in the trunk, and instead of the normal audio system, you can only get a two-speaker radio. Dodge plans to make just 3000 for the United States and 300 for Canada.