WhichCar
motor

One 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon bound for Oz

Dodge’s 626kW drag monster coming here for one lucky customer

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon
Gallery1

Dodge’s Challenger Demon or its widebody spin-off won’t come down under through official channels.

But the 626kW Challenger Demon has been confirmed for Australian delivery through private importer Crossover Car Conversions, who will swap the drag monster to right-hand drive for one lucky customer.

The Demon differs to ‘regular’ Hellcats with its widebody flares, 6.2-litre supercharged V8 capable of 626kW/1044Nm, and street drag radials. Or you can find the full rundown on its package here.

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon frontHowever, complying the car for street use doesn’t seem to faze the importer, which has imported and converted ‘countless’ Challenger Hellcats from left-hand to right-hand drive by way of a bespoke dash, console, firewall, and Chrysler 300 SRT steering rack.

“On the conversion side, we’ll just have to work with that when it gets here,” Craig Dean, from Crossover Car Conversions, tells MOTOR. “The Demon’s not that big difference in the car, anyways, just a bit fancier and more power.”

After revealing the Demon at the New York Auto show in April, Dodge confirmed only 3300 will be made strictly for the North American market with deliveries starting in September.

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon drag raceWith that build number a drop in the ocean-sized American car market, demand has skyrocketed for the car, sometimes driving the standard US$86,090 price into six-figure territory.

Dean confirms the tough market. “To get it from the US it’s actually very hard to tie up a deal for that. There’s not many made.”

On top of that he says Dodge don’t like selling export examples. “You just have to buy them through the dealer network. We try and network and get the good stuff. We managed to get an order in.”

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon rearHe also says interest for the tamer 527kW Hellcat Widebody has peaked following its recent reveal, and the company is now available to take orders, looking at delivery early 2018.

As for another Demon? He says they can definitely “try”.

2018 Dodge Challenger Demon side profileThe price, though, will command a premium. Converted two-wheel drive Hellcats, which originally cost US$62,495 in America, end up at $190,000 after all’s said and done.

Hellcat Widebody’s cost another US$10K at point of sale, and Demon’s another US$23K, so we’re told a converted Demon will cost its local customer over AU$200K.

Not cheap. But very, very powerful.

Louis Cordony
Contributor

COMMENTS

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.