Dodge Demon Stomps a Poorly-driven Ariel Atom: Track Time Tuesday

Demon has twice as much power but weighs nearly three times as much as the Ariel.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the quickest factory production car ever, offering an official quarter mile time of 9.65. The Ariel Atom 3RS is one of the most track-capable, street-legal cars in the world, offering the functionality of an open-wheel race car in a package that can be driven on public roads. While the two are both street legal, the Demon is a road car built to dominate the drag strip while the Atom is a race car adapted to be street legal.

Beyond their design, these two cars differ in two other key ways; weight and power. The Demon has nearly twice as much power, but the Dodge also weighs nearly three times as much as the Atom. On paper, the Ariel should be quicker, but the title of this video from the Road Test TV YouTube channel spoils the surprise of how this race ends.

Demon and Ariel Specs

As you likely know, the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi that delivers 840 horsepower and 770 lb-ft of torque. That power is sent towards the rear wheels by means of a specially prepared 8-speed featuring the industry’s first factory-installed TransBrake. It also has a launch control system that allows the engine to build boost at the line, helping the blown Mopar to run the quarter mile in the mid-9-second range in stock form.

As for the Atom 3RS, it is the most powerful car that Ariel has ever offered. It features a turbocharged 2.4-liter Honda four-cylinder engine that offers 425 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque, which is sent towards the rear wheels with help from a 6-speed manual transmission. There is no official quarter mile time for the Atom 3RS, but we do know that it weighs just 1,450 pounds.

So the Atom 3RS has 425 horsepower and weighs 1,450 pounds for a power-to-weight ratio of 3.41 pounds-per-horsepower. The Demon has 840 horsepower and weighs around 4,250 pounds, leading to a power-to-weight ratio of right around 5 pounds-per-horsepower. Based on those ratio numbers, the Ariel has an advantage, but this video shows why you can’t always go on numbers.

The Battle

The video begins with the Demon doing a big, nasty burnout before both cars ease up to the starting line. Once both cars are staged and ready, the green lights drop and the supercharged Dodge leaves the line with the front end in the air. Meanwhile, the Atom driver struggles to get away from the line, appearing to bog the car hard during the initial hit. By the time the Atom driver gets the car moving, the Challenger is far enough ahead that the race is over.

The Demon hammers had through the top end of Palm Beach International Raceway, stopping the clock with a 9.96 at 143 miles per hour. The Atom 3RS runs an embarrassing 12.05 at 114 miles per hour, clearly not serving as a good representative of this car’s performance capabilities. However, half of the race is the driver and in this case, the Dodge driver knew how to get his car down the track while the Ariel driver did not.

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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