Dodge Demon Convertible Leaves Us Scratching Our Heads

Demon loses the roof, but likely gains a whole lot of weight and making it slower.

The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is one of the most unique production road cars ever sold by any automaker in the world. It came from the factory with drag radials and the ability to lift the front tire off of the ground on a hard launch, en route to a stock 9-second quarter mile. To achieve these unusual feats, the modern Demon features an array of unique chassis and suspension components to help make the most of the race-gas-fueled 840 horsepower.

Someone was more interested in top-down cruising than stunning quarter mile times, as they had their Plum Crazy Dodge Demon transformed into a convertible. That’s right – someone cut the roof off of a modern Demon, all-but-ensuring that it will never see its full performance potential on the track. However, if you love the look of the car, you prefer convertibles and you have $150,000 laying around, this beast could be yours.

DropTop Customs Demon

While we neither like nor condone cutting apart a perfectly good 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, this transformation was completed by an authority in the field. DropTop Customs has been making custom Challenger convertibles for more than a decade, so when the current seller decided to ruin his Mopar muscle car, he went to the folks who know how to preserve the integrity of the car as best as possible.

DropTop Customs knew that they couldn’t just remove the roof of a unibody car with 840 horsepower and 770 lb-ft of torque, so in addition to the electronic folding top, the build adds extensive reinforcements. The frame rails were reinforced with 2-inch-thick steel paired with diagonally mounted bracing. There are also extra reinforcements to the trunk box, the front and rear strut towers and the area where the engine meets the frame rails has been fully boxed. Finally, gussets have been added to the bottom of both doors to keep the body all lined up on a hard pull.

All of that extra metal helps to keep the supercharged Hemi from twisting the roofless unibody structure, but is also adds quite a bit of weight. We don’t know how much, but when you compare the electric top assembly and all of that bracing, it is sure to weight more than the thin metal roof that was removed.

Less Performance, More Wow Factor

While DropTop Customs has reinforced the chassis to handle the power without the roof, we would bet that this car lacks the core rigidity needed to pull incredible 60-foot times, especially with the added weight. With that in mind, we would bet that this car will never run a 9-second quarter mile. In fact, we would expect that this car will never see a drag strip, but if you want a new Demon that will draw tons of attention at Cars and Coffee, without any plans to go racing, this could be the car for you.

Anyone who is really interested in looking at this 2018 Demon convertible can contact Cape Coral Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram for more information. While it is listed for sale as used by a dealership, it is actually on consignment from the current owner. The asking price is $145,995, which is about $40,000 more than what most used Demons are selling for these days.

Photos: Cape Coral Chrysler-Jeep

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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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