FCA Announces Pricing for the '840 Horsepower' Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Dodge announced pricing for the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon today — not that it matters, as dealers will do everything in their powers to not adhere to its MSRP. However, the starting point for their gouging occurs at $84,995, which includes the gas guzzler tax but not a $1,095 destination fee.

The good news is there are loads of optional extras that only cost a dollar, even though those are gimmick prices already rolled into the vehicle’s initial value. That won’t make it any less fun when you tell your neighbor about it, right before you wrap your freshly minted Demon in a car cover and store it for eternity.

Let’s get into what an extra dollar can get you on this 840-horsepower garage queen!

For every extra dollar you spend, Dodge will install each of the following items: one leather front passenger seat, a rear leather bench, a carpeted trunk, and a serialized “Demon Crate” tool chest valued at $6,140.

Most people will probably splurge and shell out the four bucks for the whole shebang for the one Sunday per summer they take the whole family to the local putt-putt. However, if you’re only interested in drag racing, you really only want the tool chest. Of course, the Demon’s 9.65-second quarter-mile time and 140 mph trap speed means you’ll be shelling out a lot more than that for an NHRA certified roll cage. You’ll also want that tool chest because the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 only makes 808 horsepower without it.

The kit includes those skinny front-runner drag wheels, a powertrain control module, conical performance air filter, valve stems, additional instrument panel controls, a jack, trunk case, and a passenger mirror block-off plate — along with a handful of useful Demon-branded tools. The car won’t generate the claimed 840 hp and 770 lb-ft of torque until you’ve done some modifications (and filled up on 100 octane fuel).

Dodge says that it’s aware the ludicrously fast muscle car isn’t providing 1998 Toyota Corolla levels of value, but suggests prospective buyers see it as more of an investment.

“Eighty-five thousand dollars is not just a number in a business case to Dodge; we know it’s a lot of money and a significant up-charge over a Challenger Hellcat,” said Tim Kuniskis, FCA’s head of passenger cars. “We worked very hard to build as much value into the Challenger SRT Demon as possible — features, performance and exclusivity that simply can’t be duplicated with a goal of maintaining, and possibly even growing, as much future value as possible.”

That’s a fair point and Dodge is offering certain “optional extras” at a dollar each. However, the term value is malleable and we’re quickly reminded of that when we look at some of the other options available on the Demon. If you want to upgrade the interior, it’s $1,595 for a “Leather Front Seat Group” that includes things like heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, added detailing, and nicer floor mats. If you don’t want leather, you can pay $995 for heated and cooled cloth seats and an upgraded 18-speaker Harmon/Kardon audio setup. There is also a $2,495 option for alcantara, additional comfort features, and that same sound system.

We’re only getting started here. Red seat belts are about $200 extra, $1,995 is the price tag for a black hood (which you’ll obviously want), and the full “Black Satin Graphics Package” is $3,495. Interested in a sunroof? It’s almost $5,000. Granted, in 40 years you might have one of a handful of already rare cars that actually has one equipped — but that’ll only be because most people don’t want to add roof weight to their drag strip-focused hot rod.

Color options are typical Challenger. Choices include B5 Blue, Billet Silver, Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Go Mango, Granite Crystal, Indigo Blue, Maximum Steel, Octane Red, Pitch Black, Plum Crazy, Redline, TorRed, White Knuckle and Yellow Jacket. Some of those colors won’t be available until later in the model’s one-year lifespan.

The Challenger SRT Demon is covered by FCA US LLC’s factory warranty, which includes a three-year/36,000-mile limited vehicle warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile limited powertrain coverage. Owners also receive a full-day training session at Bob Bondurant School of High-performance Driving — presumably to prevent on-road tragedies when dad decides to show off.

Production of the limited-edition Dodge Challenger SRT Demon begins later this summer at FCA’s Brampton, Ontario assembly plant. This year, and only this year, 3,000 vehicles will head for the United States, with the remaining 300 reserved for Canada. Deliveries to dealers will begin in the fall.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]