We finally saw what the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon looks like at the New York Auto Show this year, and now we know how much it will cost. For a paltry $84,995 (plus $1,095 for destination), you, too, can snatch up one of the 3,000 Demons coming to the United States. If history is any indication, there will most likely be markups when the Demon hits dealerships this fall, especially in Canada, where only 300 examples will be available.
For reference, while they're more road-oriented than the Demon, a 2017 Dodge Challenger Hellcat can be had starting from $64,195, while the latest Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R runs a cool $63,645. The Camaro ZL1, starts at $61,140, and its higher-performance 1LE variant starts at $69,995 including destination. However, none of these cars can touch the Demon for straight-line, quarter-mile supremacy, or even 0-60 mph prowess. To do that, you're looking at something ridiculously modified.
It's a small wheelie, but it's a wheelie nonetheless.
FCA US LLCNearly $85,000 may seem like quite an ask for Dodge, but the way I see it, it's giving Demon owners a bit of a break -- you can't get anywhere near this kind of performance for the money elsewhere. And on top of that, the serialized Demon Crate, with all the drag-strip goodies you could ever want (including narrow front-runner wheels, a performance powertrain module that unleashes all 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque from that 6.2-liter V8 engine, and a bunch of tools to put it all together), will be available to Demon customers for just $1 (actual retail value: $6,140). It's like underbidding everyone on "The Price is Right."
The Demon comes from the factory with just a driver's seat, but you can add a passenger and/or a rear seat for $1. Each, of course. You can even add carpet back into the trunk for a single George Washington. My recommendation? Order the passenger seat, even if you only keep it in your garage. Don't order the rear seats, because even if you remove them at the drag strip, you won't get the sweet trimmed-in cutouts that come on two-seat models. Future collectors will thank you.
Of course, there are more traditionally priced packages available, as well. If you're looking for a Demon that's more comfortable on the street, heated and cooled leather front seats and a heated steering wheel ring up at $1,595. Cloth seats with a bumping Harman Kardon stereo system runs $995, or you can save some cash and get both packages for $2,495. A satin-black hood will set you back an extra $1,995 and you gotta have the $3,495 graphics package.
The weirdest option? A $4,995 power sunroof. At that price, it's by far the most expensive Demon option. Dodge is practically begging folks not to get it, and we don't blame them. Don't cut a hole in a structural element in your 840-horsepower Demon. Just. Don't.
Dodge is making the Demon available in a broad variety of colors, with 15 different paints including historical favorites like Plum Crazy, Yellow Jacket and TorRed.
This Demon Crate, and everything in it, costs $1.
DodgeRather remarkably, the Ontario-built Demon is covered under Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' three-year/36,000-mile warranty, including five-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage. It's almost like it's a Dart or a Grand Caravan.
All customers who buy the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon receive one full-day session at Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. I highly recommend owners take advantage of this. Even without the Demon Crate, the car has 808 horsepower and 717 pound-feet of torque. Those aren't numbers to take lightly. You can bet $1 on it.
Detroit Auto Show 2017: Everything that happened at the biggest car show of the year.
Favorite concept cars at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show: The auto industry's coolest moonshots.