A car that looks as if it could be the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was spotted out and about.
We can’t say that we believe in demons, but we do want to believe some recently snapped photos of a widebody Dodge Challenger with a gaping maw of a hood scoop are genuine candid shots of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
Dodge has been teasing us for weeks with short videos showing off the mega muscle car’s performance-focused features, such as its factory TransBrake, anti-lag feature, and After-Run Chiller. We’ve seen the Demon’s tires ripple and the car fly down a drag strip.
In the Muscle Vs Tuner video above, we might see an undisguised version of the new super SRT during cold weather testing in Colorado. Might. The car shown certainly looks the part. It has the wide scoop and fender flares…but it also shows signs that make us think what we’re seeing may be a ruse or a modified Challenger that’s not as demonic as we’d like to believe it is.
Let’s take a look at those fender flares. In the photos, they seem to be bolt-on pieces. The teaser vids Dodge has released give us glimpses of what appear to be smooth flares.
Then scope out all of those stickers. There’s LB Performance (Liberty Walk), Nitto, Hurst, and Borla. Those companies do make products that would make great additions to a Challenger, but the idea of a supposedly unmasked Demon being spotted on public streets with aftermarket decals on it before it’s officially revealed at the New York Auto Show makes us think we’ll just have to wait a little longer to see the real deal.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
