fbpx
DodgeSRTYouTube
Trending

Dodge Releases “Behind-The-Scenes” Video On Demon 170 Reveal

There Was A Lot More Involved In Putting The Reveal Together...

In honor of April 26th being HEMI® Day, Dodge / MotorTrend has unveiled a 22-minute video for the upcoming 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The video takes a behind-the-scenes look at not only the debut of the 1,025 horsepower muscle car but also a sneak peek at the development of the car.

During its development, Dodge set a goal of 100 quarter-mile passes for the Demon 170. 

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. (Dodge).

Drag testing is difficult because every pass on the dragstrip is a different surface. The temperature may change. The rubber and the glue on the surface may change. Did you warm the tire up to exactly or close to the same temperature during your burnout? Did you line up cross-track, left, right, in the same spot? And then on top of that, as the driver, am I applying the throttle at the exact same rate to get consistency?” said Jim Wilder, Vehicle Development Manager, Challenger SRT program.

“Being consistent is super, super important,” stated Wilder. “Putting performance out there in a product is one thing, but putting the performance out there in a car that lives is an absolute must. If you can run down the track 10 times and set crazy track times and performance … if that car dies, that’s not a production car. This is a VIN car that’s going to drive to the grocery store.” 

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. (Dodge).

Dodge didn’t hide the fact that there was a lot of heartache with engines breaking during the development of the car.

“You break a lot of eggs making an omelet, right?” added Wilder. “It’s the old saying, and we have. We’ve broken a lot of engines; we’ve broken transmissions; we’ve broken prop shafts; we’ve broken differentials. At the end of the day, we come together, we put all the pieces together, and we end up with the fastest, quickest, most powerful Challenger muscle car in the world, mass-produced car.” 

And while it may seem like the unveiling was nothing more than your average Livestream, there was a lot of work behind the scenes to put the event together. 

Getting the Demon 170 strapped to the helicopter and into the air was a laborious process that took considerable time, but it was finally accomplished. The task involved many steps and required significant effort to ensure the safety and success of the flight, which lasted only a couple of minutes. Helicopter pilot, Neal Jenson needed to be in constant contact with Nellis Air Force Base, as he says, “Their runway is right over there. The problem that (Nellis Air Force Base has) is their planes are taking off or landing, I’m right in their path.”

2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. (Dodge).

At the event, Tim Kuniskis, Dodge CEO, said, “There was no way we were going to let this era end quietly. We wanted to go out with a bang, and our goal with the reveal of the Demon 170 was ultimately about celebrating our 13 million-plus fans and giving them pride in ownership.”  

Added Kuniskis about the helicopter reveal with the Demon 170 hovering high above, “I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous when the car was rotating, but you can’t practice something like that; you gotta go ‘no net.’ So, it kind of fits with the car, right?” 

Dodge also said that prior to its reveal on the track, and run for three to four miles to get the transmission, the driveline, the differential, all the grease, all the metal pieces that are spinning, warmed up to temperature, so that it could arrive on track hot, making the Demon 170 ready to go.
 
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. (Dodge).
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 pulls the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs, hits the 60-ft. mark in 1.24 seconds, and reaches 60 mph in 1.66 seconds on its way to a quarter-mile elapsed time (ET) of 8.91 seconds @ 151.17 mph.
 
Production of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will begin this summer, and total series production volume will be limited to not more than 3,300 units, with 3,000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada. Actual production volume could be less depending on production capacity and component availability. 

Robert S. Miller

Robert S. Miller is a diehard Mopar enthusiast who lives and breathes all that is Mopar. The Michigander is not only the Editor for MoparInsiders.com, 5thGenRams.com, and HDRams.com but an automotive photographer. He is an avid fan of offshore powerboat racing, which he travels the country to take part in.

Related Articles

No replies yet

Loading new replies...

Dodge Releases “Behind-The-Scenes” Video On Demon 170 Reveal​

There Was A Lot More Involved In Putting The Reveal Together...​

1682658047361.png

In honor of April 26th being HEMI® Day, Dodge / MotorTrend has unveiled a 22-minute video for the upcoming 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The video takes a behind-the-scenes look at not only the debut of the 1,025 horsepower muscle car but also a sneak peek at the development of the car.

Reply Like

click to expand...
Back to top button