This video proves that the 168 mph top speed of the Demon is kind of a farce.
When the official information on the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was announced, folks in the Ford and Chevy community were quick to mock its surprisingly-low top speed. The Demon is electronically limited to 168 miles per hour because that is the maximum speed rating for the Nitto NT05R drag radial tires. That rating is one of the highest in the drag radial market, but since it is still well below the speed rating of the Pirelli P Zero tires on the Hellcat, the Demon was required by law to have its top speed limited to the maximum speed rating of the Nitto tires.
Fortunately, one owner has already made it crystal clear that the new Demon is capable of speeds well beyond 168 miles per hour – hitting an incredible 203 on the space shuttle landing strip in Florida.
Demon Goes 203
In the video above, the black 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is making a 2.3-mile top speed run as part of the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds program. This business uses the space shuttle landing strip on Merritt Island in Florida to conduct “Straight Line Aerodynamic Testing Sessions”, which are really just top speed runs with ultra-high performance cars.
In this case, a new Demon is participating in the program, and with the help of a Tag Heuer timing system that displays the speedometer in the camera view, we can watch the Mopar monster hit 203 miles per hour.
In almost exactly one minute, the Demon accelerates from a stop up to 203 miles per hour on a 2.3-mile blast. People who were at this program tell us that on a later run, the 840-horsepower Challenger hit 209, but we haven’t seen video of that anywhere.
The bottom line here is that the Demon is very capable of going way, way faster than the official top speed of 168 miles per hour.
"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.
