Although it’s not quite as high as you think but the acceleration is brutal.
The Challenger SR Demon has been captivating horsepower-lovers since Dodge first unveiled it almost a year ago. It accelerates like mad. To refresh your memory, Dodge claims it can reach 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and travel the quarter-mile lights in 9.65 seconds if it is set up to run race fuel. Everyone knows that the time it takes to reach 60 mph is too fast for NHRA sanctioned drag strips. However, Hennessey doesn’t have to adhere to such restrictions. The tuning company doesn’t have to stop after a quarter-mile.
The Hellcat-powered Challenger can reach speeds of around 200 mph. So, the Demon with its additional power could easily surpass that speed. Dodge actually limits the Demon’s speed at around 168 mph. This is the same limit that the Hennessey team reached briefly at 164 mph in this video. Although it wasn’t difficult to do, 160 seems quite weak in a world with cars that have 800+ horsepower. However, there is a method to the madness.
The Demon was not designed for speed, but acceleration. It is a great success in this role. The Demon can go from a dead stop at 164 mph to 164 mph in just 20 seconds. At that point, speed bounces back like tennis balls thrown against brick walls. The limiter is still pushing the Demon hard, so it’s clear that there’s more speed. However, Demon’s drag-radial tires can go faster. This is the price for a Dodge Challenger that launches faster than a Bugatti Chiron worth a million dollars.
We think the Demon could go a lot faster with the limiter removed and tires capable of handling speed. We’d rather drive the Demon around on launch than do 200 mph in a softly-sprung muscle car.