2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Up Close: Last Call on Alcohol

The 2023 model year has been the long kiss goodnight for Dodge’s long-running Challenger lineup. Has it really been 15 years since the reborn Challenger kicked off in SRT trim for 2008? Yep, and Dodge’s nostalgic muscle machine — at least the gasoline-powered versions — finally comes to the end of the road this year; it’s being discontinued after 2023. Dodge is commemorating the occasion with seven “Last Call” special-edition Challengers, and it’s saved the best for last. The SRT Demon 170 caps off the Challenger’s run with a rubber-burning exclamation point, and we got to check it out in person at the 2023 New York International Auto Show.

Related: More 2023 New York Auto Show Coverage

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Corny?

Unlike the other Last Call Challengers, the Demon 170 is much more than special paint and trim and a dashboard plaque; it can be considered an even more outrageous sequel to the 840-maximum-horsepower, drag-strip-ready Challenger SRT Demon of 2018. How much more outrageous? Up to 1,025 hp and 945 pounds-feet of torque. But there’s a caveat there: Similar to the way the original Challenger Demon needed 100-plus-octane racing fuel to deliver its maximum horsepower and torque numbers, the Demon 170 needs E85 ethanol (which is thankfully easier to find than race gas) for its max numbers. The “170” in the Demon’s name refers to the alcohol proof of the corn-based fuel.

How Does It Look?

The Demon 170 on display wore relatively subdued “Triple Nickel” silver paint, which was livened up by the optional satin-black paint on the roof center, rear decklid and spoiler, and extra-wide hood scoop — those black accents are a $3,695 option, by the way. Oof. The Demon 170 is available in your choice of 14 paint colors, but all of them are extra-cost except for White Knuckle, Pitch Black and Torred.

The 170’s hood is the same basic unit that was used on the 2018 SRT Demon, but it wears subtle “Alcohol Injected” lettering on the driver’s side of the scoop opening. In another instance of clever parts-bin raiding, the 170 uses the Challenger’s wide-body fender flares to cover the massive Mickey Thompson ET Street R drag-radial tires, but only in the rear — the front fenders omit the flares for weight savings (and because they’re not really needed since the front drag radials are much skinnier). The 170’s wheels measure 18 inches by 8 inches in front and 17 inches by 11 inches in the rear. The base wheels are forged aluminum, but the show vehicle was shod with the optional two-piece carbon-fiber wheels; the forged-aluminum center is affixed to the carbon-fiber rim with titanium-alloy hardware. That particular upgrade will set you back $11,495. Oof, again.

At first glance, the horned-demon front-fender badges look similar to the original Demon’s, but they are set apart by 170 “neck-tattoo” lettering and a jewel-like yellow eye (yellow to represent the corn-based ethanol fuel, natch). At the rear is perhaps the most jaw-dropping feature of the Demon 170: the optional parachute-mounting bracket, which attaches to a receptacle behind a bottom-hinged license-plate holder. To get the actual parachute, you’ll have to go to Simpson or another aftermarket supplier of your choice. And according to Dodge, the Demon 170 violates the National Hot Rod Association’s rules by running the quarter-mile in under 9 seconds without a standard parachute or safety roll cage.

On the Inside

The doors were locked on the show car, so we couldn’t get inside (probably so none of us yahoos could yank on the huge parachute-release handle that’s affixed to the passenger side of the center console), but we still spied a number of unique components in addition to that hard-to-miss handle. For one thing, there’s no rear seat — it’s a zero-cost delete option, and in its place was an optional carbon-fiber seat-delete insert and harness bar. Again, you’ll need to go directly to the aftermarket to get the actual four-point harness system; the black Simpson harness belts of the display car stood out against the Demonic Red seat upholstery.

Pricing

The Demon 170’s base sticker price is $96,666 (evil!), but once you tack on the destination fee ($1,595), gas-guzzler tax ($2,100) and a few of those factory options, over-the-counter Direct Connection accessories and aftermarket add-ons, you’ll be well into six figures. For that coin, you’ll get astonishing performance potential: 0-60 mph in a manufacturer-estimated 1.66 seconds on its way to an 8.91-second quarter-mile at over 151 mph, according to Dodge.

If this truly ends up being the last gas-powered Challenger (as in, not like those “final” concert tours from Kiss or Motley Crue), then at least it’s dying with its steel-toed combat boots on.

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