Listen to the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon roar with Dodge brand boss Tim Kuniskis behind the wheel.
Last week, we attended a small media event near Detroit, Michigan, where members of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon engineering team talked about the unique drivetrain features of the world’s quickest production car. That is where we got all of the information for our Deep Dive piece (click here for a closer look at that), but after all the explanations were finished, the dozen or so members of the media got to talking about the sound of the Demon.
A video arrived online last month showing a B5 Blue 2018 Demon at a media function in Wisconsin, revving the engine while sitting in place. Unfortunately, the car did not sound great in that video, or at least it didn’t sound anywhere near as good as the Demon can sound, and that was the final topic of discussion with Tim Kuniskis.
However, this event was being held at the M1 Concourse road course near Detroit, and there just so happened to be a long straightaway just outside of the building in which we all met to discuss the Demon. The Dodge people spoke with the track officials and they got the greenlight to let the newest supercharged muscle car stretch its legs.
To showcase how great the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon sounds under hard throttle, Tim Kuniskis went around the track and when he got to the straight stretch in front of our meeting area, he brought the car down to nearly a stop, put it into first gear and let it rip. He doesn’t exactly “launch” the Demon, as he doesn’t come to a stop and use any of the high tech gadgets which help make this Challenger the quickest muscle car ever. This wasn’t about showing how quick the Demon is – this was about letting the world hear how the supercharged engine sounds under hard acceleration.
And guess what? It sounds pretty freakin’ amazing. Between the whine of the supercharger through the Air Grabber hood and the roar of the blown Hemi through the exhaust, the 2018 Dodge Demon is easily one of the most unique-sounding production cars I have ever experienced.
"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.
