2018 Challenger Demon Hits 211 MPH on High Speed Run

Demon with more than three miles of straight runway running on race gas turns in a supercar top speed.

When the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was introduced with an official top speed of 168 miles per hour, a great many people were quick to poke fun at this unusually low terminal velocity. Fortunately, owners found that the limited top speed was only present with the factory engine computer and when owners swap to the Demon Crate computer, there is no electronic limit on the top speed.

When running on race gas and making 840 horsepower, the new Demon is only limited on the top end by space and aerodynamic drag. The biggest issue is that at more than two tons, the supercharged Challenger needs a bunch of straight runway to hit its actual top speed, but that issue isn’t present at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in Florida. Based on this video from the venue’s official YouTube channel, the demonic muscle car will comfortably eclipse the 200-mark.

Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds

In the video above, a 2018 Dodge Demon is making a top speed run at the Space Florida’s Shuttle Launch and Landing Facility runway, located on Merritt Island in South Florida. When this sprawling stretch of runway is not being used to serve as a landing spot for spaceships, it is used by the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds for their Straight Line Aerodynamic Testing sessions.

Technically, what goes on in the Bohmer Straight Line Aerodynamic Testing sessions is unique from a local WannaGoFast event or some other top speed competition. Runs at Bohmer are made one at a time, with a track length varying from a mile to over three miles, so almost any street-legal vehicle will find its true top speed. That speed is recorded by Bohmer’s own timing equipment, so the data is uniform from one vehicle to another.

Demon Top Speed

The Bohmer channel first came to the attention of the modern Mopar community when a new Demon hit 208 last year, but this time, the supercharged Dodge Challenger has even more room to run. To be exact, this Demon is racing down a 3.22-mile runway on a day where the wind is calm and air temperature is in the mid-70s, so the conditions are pretty ideal.

The video begins with the bright yellow Challenger doing a nasty burnout, followed by the big run. We watch the burnout and the launch from trackside, but we ride along for the majority of the run. Thanks to the Bohmer recording system, we can watch the vehicle’s speed, acceleration forces, the time of day and the duration of the run.

It takes approximately 59 seconds for the 840-horsepower Dodge to accelerate from a stop to 211 miles per hour, lifting when the car stops building speed on the big end. Getting to 100 took about 10 seconds, 150 took about 19 seconds and 200 took about 41 seconds, with the last 11 miles per hour taking about 18 seconds to build.

So, while the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon comes from the factory with the pump gas PCM that “only” offers 808 horsepower and a top speed of 168, the 840-horsepower race gas PCM lifts that top speed to 211 miles per hour.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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