The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is a historic muscle car, thanks in part to its 1,025 hp (764 kW) supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine. Now, Hennessey is inaugurating an all-new program and using the Demon 170 as its launching pad.
The finished product will be a Demon 1700 with some 1,700 horsepower (1,267 kW) at the press of one’s right foot. However, there’s a catch – this power won’t come from a modified version of the Demon 170’s stock engine but from a brand-new bespoke V8.
Hennessy Special Operations (HSO) is a new branch of the brand and the Demon 1700 will be its first creation. John Hennessey says that his company is going to equip this desirable muscle car with a pair of twin turbochargers and a unique engine. Once finished, it’s targeting a quarter-mile time of just 7.90 seconds at 175-180 mph (281-289 km/h).
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To put that into perspective, it’s just over a full second faster than the stock Dodge Demon 170’s claimed time of 8.91 seconds at 151.17 mph (243 km/h) when running on E85, a blend of gasoline and ethanol. It’s also faster than a multi-million dollar Rimac Nevera all-electric hypercar which has a current best time of 8.25 seconds in the quarter mile. Of course, Hennessey still has to build the car, tune the car, and then show us what it can do.
They’ll shrink wrap the original engine
Considering how limited and rare the Demon 170 already is, HSO says that it’ll actually remove the original drivetrain and store it in a crate with shrink wrap as part of the commission. That will allow owners to revert back to a 100% stock vehicle at any time should they ever decide that they want to drive around with a measly 1,025 ponies under the hood.
Hennessey says that it’ll document the process over the next several months as it builds the first example of what it’s calling the Demon 1700, which just so happens to be John’s personal car. Evidently, it’s only going to build 12 examples in total meaning that only 11 are likely available for the rest of the general public. Hennessey didn’t disclose pricing but says that interested parties can inquire beginning today.
