Dodge's official time has finally been broken.
9.65 seconds. That was the mind-blowing quarter-mile time Dodge promised when it unleashed the Demon – the most powerful version of the Challenger to date – at the 2018 New York Auto Show last year, prompting a collective gasp from across the automotive industry and around the world.
The trouble is that nobody was able to actually achieve that time, despite meeting all the delicate conditions the Mopar crew put on repeating the feat. Now, almost two years later, the number has not only been matched but surpassed by almost a tenth of a second. Twice.
For those unfamiliar, the Demon is a version of the Dodge Challenger that, while certified to drive on the street, was engineered for one purpose above all else: to conquer the drag strip.
To that end, it packs a 6.2-liter V8 with a massive supercharger that itself (at 2.7 liters) is bigger than the engines in most cars. As a result, it produces a monstrous 808 horsepower on 91-octane pump gasoline, but an even more impressive 840 hp on 100-octane racing fuel. That, together with a set of drag radials at the back and skinny tires at the front, is what it needs to return the 9.65-second 1/4-mile time.
Byron Godbee took his bone-stock Demon (one of just 3,300 made) to Carolina Dragway – better known as the House of Hook – and laid down the landmark time. To read his account though, it didn't come off without some trouble. First the dashboard flashed the all-encompassing "check engine" light, which Godbee cleared up after getting a code reader from a local auto parts store, just minutes before clocking a 9.57-second run. Then another car spilled oil all over the strip, but they got it cleaned up and Godbee ran a second time in 9.58 – proving, once and for all, that the Demon can indeed perform as Dodge said it could, given just the right conditions.
Acura
Alfa Romeo
Aston Martin
Audi
Bentley
BMW
Bollinger
BrightDrop
Bugatti
Buick
Cadillac
Caterham
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Dodge
Ferrari
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Genesis
GMC
Gordon Murray Automotive
Hennessey
Honda
Hyundai
Infiniti
Jaguar
Jeep
Karma
Kia
Koenigsegg
Lamborghini
Land Rover
Lexus
Lincoln
Lordstown
Lotus
Lucid Motors
Maserati
Mazda
McLaren
Mercedes-Benz
Mini
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pagani
Polestar
Porsche
Ram
Rimac
Rivian
Rolls-Royce
Spyker
Subaru
Tesla
Toyota
VinFast
Volkswagen
Volvo
Join The Discussion