The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is supposed to be unbeatable by any production car at a drag strip. However, videos over recent months have proven that, in less-than-ideal conditions, the ultimate Dodge isn’t as mind-blowingly fast as the automaker may want you to believe.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why this is the case. GM engineers managed to extract 840 hp from the Demon’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8 – and the moment you send all that power to the rear wheels, you’re going to have traction issues.
While Dodge has employed many techniques to maximize traction, getting the Demon off the line without spinning the tires is almost impossible. And this is where vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Nismo come into the equation.
The GT-R was once the king of performance cars, and while competitors have stolen its crown, it is still exceptionally quick, particularly from a standing start.
In Nismo guise, the GT-R’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 pumps out an impressive 592 hp (600 PS) and 481 lb-ft (652 Nm) of torque. While that’s significantly less than the all-conquering Demon, the GT-R is not only lighter, but has an advanced all-wheel drive system, meaning all of its power can be transmitted to the ground without any wheelspin.
To see which of the two is the quickest, Drag Times lined the pair up and let them loose. The following races took place along the straight of a racetrack and not a specially-prepped drag strip, providing us with a better idea of how the two perform in a straight line.