A couple of months back, Dodge unveiled the final glory for its internal combustion muscle vehicles with the Dodge Challenger Demon 170. Boasting 1,025 horsepower, the Demon 170 stands as the most potent production car Dodge has ever manufactured. Predictably, all 3,300 allotments were rapidly taken up, but Dodge opted to create one for the Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, where it fetched a total of $700,000. Fortunately, this substantial price will benefit a good cause. The entire auction price was donated to Kristi House, a non-profit organization that offers care and advocacy for children who have experienced abuse and trauma.
Initially, when the Demon 170 was first put up for auction, with Nicole Kidman serving as a guest auctioneer, it was sold for $400,000. Subsequently, the winning bidder surprisingly gave back the car to be re-auctioned. In the second round, the top bid was $300,000, bringing the total to $700,000. During both auctions, Nicole Kidman also generously provided VIP tickets to witness her spouse Keith Urban’s performance in Vegas.
What adds intrigue to this winning offer is that the ultimate successful bidder doesn’t receive a car immediately. Instead, they secured the final production slot for the Demon 170, granting them the opportunity to personalize their Demon with various choices, including a unique color. A typical Demon 170 commences at $100,361 post-destination ($1,595) and gas-guzzler levies ($2,100).
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 Dodge
Nonetheless, personalization isn’t the primary reason for someone shelling out seven times the usual price. The Demon 170 serves as Dodge’s supercharged homage to muscle cars. Its distinctive engine, constructed from Dodge’s C170 “Hellephant” crate engine, is mind-boggling. It generates 1,025 horsepower and 945 pound-feet of torque with E85 fuel. Using regular 91 octane fuel, these figures drop to 900 horsepower and 810 pound-feet. Equipped with Mickey Thompson ET Street R 315-section drag radials, Dodge asserts it can achieve 60 mph in 1.66 seconds.
The Demon 170 can cover the quarter-mile in an NHRA-certified 8.91 seconds. However, it is actually prohibited from all NHRA-sanctioned tracks in its factory form since it can complete the quarter-mile in under nine seconds but lacks a standard roll cage or parachute. This status solidifies its position as one of the swiftest production cars globally, trailing solely behind multi-million dollar electric hypercars like the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista. And now, the new owner has possession of the very last model ever produced.
Update [6/28/2023 @ 3:45pm ET]: A correction was made to the auction location and the double bid. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the auction was in New Orleans and that the $700,000 was a single bid.
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