Dodge/SRT exterior designer Mark Trostle shows off potential logos for 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.
Mark Trostle is the Head of Exterior Design for Dodge and SRT, so he had a major part in creating the menacing look of the 2018 Challenger Demon. He is also an active Instagram user, frequently showing off his own White Knuckle Demon, but recently, he shared some artwork of the 840-horsepower Challenger logo in development – giving us a look at the many possible faces of America’s most-powerful production road car.
If You Know, You Know
Since FCA first began teasing the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon early last year, the car was marketed with the mysterious slogan and hashtag of “If You Know, You Know. Former Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis says that they went with that slogan for the rollout because the Demon is a car that many people will not be able to pick out of a lineup, but those who can – know just how wicked of a car it is.
The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon doesn’t have a great many logos around the exterior. In fact, nowhere on the outside of the car does it actually say Demon and that was part of the whole “if you know, you know” approach. Fortunately, the easily-recognizable badges on the fenders make it very clear that this isn’t an “average” supercharged Challenger.
The Demon Head
What might look like the Hellcat head logo during a quick glance by someone who “does not know”, is actually the face of the Dodge Demon. The Hellcat inspiration is clear, but with the human-like face, the horns and the big fangs, this is clearly more than an angry cat.
However, Dodge didn’t just whip up a logo based on the Hellcat head and call it a day, instead, the designers came up with dozens of possible Demon head logos and the image above – shared by Mark Trostle on Instagram – shows many of those designs.
As you can see, some are more human-like while others take on a more cat-like design. Many are slight variations of each other and one even ties in the horns of a Ram – tying in the old school connection between Dodge and Ram Trucks. One kind of looks like Abe Lincoln with horns and another is clearly inspired by the Scat Pack wheeled bee.
"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.
