Dodge Demon acknowledgement letter ensures owners don't screw it up
Owners can still do what they want, but Dodge gives some pretty good advice in this document.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the world's first drag car for street-legal public consumption, which means it's not like your average Challenger. Dodge wants to make sure its owners know what they're getting into with a lengthy customer acknowledgement form.
One of the initial steps in the Demon purchase process is the signing of Dodge's acknowledgement document, which is more than just a legal cover-your-ass move on Dodge's part, although that definitely factors in, too. Customers will have to sign every line of the form, as well as have the dealer fill out order numbers. The whole thing needs to be notarized, to boot.
Some of the lines are pretty straightforward. The customer assumes all the risk in driving a drag car, the customer will read the owner's manual, the customer will not allow passengers to ride in the car without seats installed -- pretty straightforward stuff. But some of the other line items give us a bit more info about the restrictions involving Demon ownership.
Dodge likely also frowns upon massive public burnouts, public being the operative word.
While the Demon's Nitto NT05R tires are street-legal, they're basically racing slicks. One line asks the customer to avoid highway driving, as the tires will wear down awfully quickly. It suggests avoiding rain driving for hydroplaning reasons. Another line suggests that the customer not even move the Demon below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, as the tires may crack from lack of flexibility. It might behoove owners to pick up a second set of more reasonable rubber.
Dodge also wants the customer to promise that he or she will not use any track-specific features, like launch control, on public roads. I'm sure the temptation to race nearby Corvettes and Mustangs is high, but let's be honest -- both drivers are almost guaranteed to know how quick the Demon is, so there's no use showing off unless it's at the drag strip.
The form also requests that the customer point out whether the vehicle was sold at or over MSRP. This is an important part of the allocation process, as dealers who mark the Demon up will be pushed to the back of the production line. If an owner is angling for a low serial number, paying a markup will complicate matters.
With a base price of about $85,000, the Demon will likely end up in the hands of owners with experience in high-horsepower cars of this caliber. Most will understand what they're getting into and won't tempt fate. But for those who are new to this sort of experience, the acknowledgement letter serves as a good refresher course in what not to do.
