For enthusiasts who have been anxiously anticipating the arrival of Challenger SRT Demon, the day has arrived. Summer has arrived and Fiat Chrysler is now taking orders for the mid-sized muscle car.
Just 3,300 of the 840-hp high-performance coupes will be available (300 in Canada), with production starting later this summer for fall deliveries. Befitting limited edition models, the cars will be serialized, with priority given to customers who pay the MSRP or below it (meaning they will receive a model with a lower serial number), while those who pay more than the MSRP will have to wait longer for their cars, presumably to prevent price-gouging for the heavy-in-demand car priced at $84,995 US.
“The 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon represents the best of what Dodge//SRT stands for – performance capabilities that are second to none, iconic styling and a heritage built on pushing the boundaries of what is possible at a price that is attainable,” said Tim Kuniskis, FCA North America’s Head of Passenger Car Brands, Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT. “We know some dealers may be tempted to sell to the highest bidder, but we are encouraging them to leverage the Demon as a halo for both the brand and their dealership, to bring customers into their showrooms and see everything we have to offer.”
You won’t just be able to walk into any Dodge dealership to plunk money down on a Demon, though, as cars are allotted to select dealerships. In order to order Demons, dealers must have sold more than one SRT Hellcat in the past 12 months, and have sales performance of 60% SRT Hellcat and 40% Charger and Challenger. And once a registered dealership has sold its allotment of Demons, you’ll have to go somewhere else.
As for ordering, the potential buyer has to complete an acknowledgement of intent to purchase, signed by the buyer, the dealer and a notary. The completed, signed document must be received by company before the car is put into production. This will also set the priority of each purchase.
FCA has also set up a concierge phone line (800-998-1110) and a website (at www.dodge.com) so buyers and dealers can communicate directly, and new owners can track their orders.
Touted as the fastest quarter-mile production car ever (9.65 seconds at 225 km/h, as certified by the National Hot Rod Association), the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is certified by Guinness World Records as the first production car to ever do a front wheel lift on launch, registering the highest g-force ever recorded from a production car (1.8 g).
“We learned a lot when we launched the wildly popular SRT Hellcats,” concluded Kuniskis. “We’ve taken that information and created an allocation plan that is clear and concise, builds on Demon’s position as the Dodge//SRT halo and makes it easy for our customers to understand how they can put a Demon into their garage and, ultimately, out on the drag strip.”