Dodge describes it as “a beast unlike any in the kingdom” and that’s true, to a point. The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon offers a spectacular display of what auto manufacturers can do with a factory engine’s horsepower, if they have the will to dream of more … and more.
The Demon clocks in with 840 hp. That’s from the factory, not a hotrod someone souped up in their garage. According to Dodge, it makes the Challenger SRT Demon the fastest production car from 0 to 100 mph.
One has to wonder if Chrysler thought the Hellcat Challenger was too warm and fuzzy – a hybrid family car? When the Hellcat engine was introduced for the 2015 model year, it came with an acceleration pulsing 707 hp engine. But, it’s not hard to see that Dodge saw the competition closing in; they upped their game with the Demon to ensure that they stayed at the top of the horsepower hill.
Ford’s 5.2L Ti-VCT V8, with “Flat Plane Crank,” produces an earth-shaking 526 hp. Anyone who has driven a high-powered automobile can tell you – that’s some serious horses. The 2017 Chevy Corvette Z06 6.2L supercharged V8 DI engine pumps out 650 hp. You can get the same engine in the ZL1 Camaro.
840 – 650 – 526: these are horsepower figures that promise heart-pounding performance. But, let’s put this in perspective. Let’s look back to the days of the Pony Cars.
A Wikipedia article claims that the Pony Era began in 1963, with the introduction of the 1964 Ford Mustang (the model would have been introduced in the fall of ’63) and lasted until about 1973. This was a decade of auto manufacturing that saw auto builders fighting the same fight – king of the horsepower hill. During that era, some of the top factory engines, with the most horsepower, were:
- Chrysler 426 hemi – 425 hp
- Chevrolet 454 LS-6 – 450 hp
- Ford 429 Cobra Jet – 370 hp
- Buick 455 Stage 1 – 360 hp
- AMC 390 – 325 hp
It’s not hard to see that auto manufacturers have made quantum leaps in terms of the number of horses they’re able to pack into an engine block. The SRT Supercharged 6.2L HEMI is just over 378 cubic inches (the equivalent measurement to the cubic inch dimensions of the Pony engines above). This means that the late-60s/early-70s 426 ci engine puts out a little more than half of the horses of its 378 ci ancestor.
One thing has not changed though; auto racers and enthusiasts can still modify their engines to increase the number horses they have under the hood. For instance, and as it was years ago, you can still come in to an auto shop, such as Performance Unlimited, and tell them how many horses you want to pack under your hood. They’ll tell you what it will take to get you there.
The only question is, ‘How high will auto manufacturers go’ and ‘how many horses can they fit under the hood?’
NOTE: Foreign, sedan and luxury cars also come with high-powered engines. For instance, the Mercedes-Benz 4.7L engine comes with 523 hp. You can buy a 5.0L Lexus with 467 hp, a 2.9L Alfa Romeo with 505 hp, a BMW with 560 hp, an Audi with 605 hp and a Cadillac with 640 hp.
Of course, back in the days of the Pony Cars, you could also buy a Cadillac, with a 472-ci or 500-ci engine that put out, up to, 400 hp.
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