From Las Vegas: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170

Today’s the day! After months of nail-biting, Dodge has announced the final “Last Call” model to commemorate the Hemi’s ride into the sunset. With months of waiting, tempered by online teasers that may have been more head- than chin-scratcher, we have arrived at the moment.

So, what’s all the hoopla about? Announcing the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. It’s the only street-legal drag car that runs on ethanol (an elixir with 170 proof, hence the name), but that’s not to say you can’t go to Costco to fill it up because this Challenger can handle Texas Tea too. Here’s the stats:

1025 horsepower
945 lb-ft of torque
0-60 in 1.66 seconds
NHRA-certified ET of 8.9 seconds at 151 mph
$96,666 base price
Already banned by NHRA
Parachute available from Direct Connection as an option

An eight-second production car? It’s the quickest, fastest, most powerful mass-produced vehicle in the world. (No word on how fast it’ll run on E10 pump gas, but power stats are 900 horses and 810 lb-ft of torque.) A 3.0-liter supercharger pushes up to 21.3 psi. Cylinder pressure up to 2,500 psi. New driveshaft. Revised trans brake (aka “TransBrake 2.0”). New offset carbon fiber wheel option wrapped in custom-tailored Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag radials. New Widebody flares (only on the rear). Only 3,000 are anticipated to be built for Yanks, plus another 300 for Canucks. Sorry, Sultans, none for you!

The Black Ghost, both the original and the Last Call edition.

The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 joins the swarm of other limited-edition Hemi-powered Last Call goodness that shows the world what good ol’ American horsepower is all about. This ain’t shades of 1970 where performance was in its swan song, mind you — it’s a celebration of culture that’s been in the making since the 1940s from the dry lakes of California to the pikes of suburban Detroit. Uncle Sam, your car has arrived, and it has the name of two brothers who started building cars in Hamtramck in 1914, along with the DNA of the cars that won 1-2-3 at Daytona in 1964, the Scat Pack vehicles that were introduced for 1968, and the 2006 concept car that demonstrated Chrysler still had its mojo after spearheading the rebirth of the corporation with the Viper and Ram.