Last, Last Call for Dodge Challenger to have 1,025 horsepower

Dodge has revealed its seventh and final “Last Call” Challenger, which will have a stunning 1,025 horsepower from its supercharged Hemi V8. Officially dubbed the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, this ultimate muscle car is expected to do 0-60 in 1.66 seconds and run the quarter mile in 8.91 seconds.  If that is your cup of espresso, you’ll be able to order one here at Rairdon’s Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep of Bellingham.

It’s been said that in America that it’s not over until it’s overdone. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis didn’t quite put it that way but instead stated “This is the new pinnacle of factory crazy.”  This last “Last Call” model was actually scheduled to be announced at last November’s Special Equipment Market Association Show (SEMA) but the prior week Kuniskis stated quite frankly that their engineers had been blowing up engines trying to create the perfect “Last Call” model.  

Final Challenger Lasted Three Times the Original

The original Challenger was somewhat late to the pony car party, arriving as a 1970 model and staying largely unchanged through 1974. The Challenger name returned on a Mitsubishi-built 4-cylinder rear-drive coupe in 1977 which also lasted for five model years, but most regard the real return of the Challenger to be the 2008 model. Built on the same rear-drive platform as the 4-door Charger and Chrysler 300, the Challenger comeback resembled the original in every way a modern car could. The design and platform have remained unchanged for the subsequent 15 years but engine size and power has steadily increased.

The Epitome of the Dodge Brand

Even more than the exotic Viper, the Challenger has become the halo car for the Dodge brand as the home for red-blooded American hero muscle cars. As other brands started to downsize their engine sizes in the interest of efficiency, Dodge doubled down. This started with the SRT8 for 2011, which featured a larger 6.4-liter V8 producing 470 horsepower. But the real attention-getter came four years later with the Challenger SRT Hellcat which sported a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 producing an exotic car squashing 707 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. The next big step involved returning the Demon name from its 70s-era compact car.  With a more powerful 2.7-liter supercharger, the SRT Demon upped the ante to 808 horsepower or 840 if fed 100 octane racing fuel. Guzzling the same octane, the torque was 770 lb-ft. From there, the power climb took a breather while Dodge focused on wide-body variants and other drag-strip-focused modifications that bordered if not quite fudged street-legal status.

All this flew in the face of industry trends toward less carbon output, greater efficiency, and electrification and the niche market for these street dragsters was getting more limited.  E-power is the future and Dodge has already shown signs of how they plan to apply it to what people expect of a Dodge.

Still, after having had so much fun with its gonzo-powered Challengers, one can forgive Dodge for having a hard time saying goodbye, and they’ve given their favorite model one heck of a farewell tour. As mentioned, this 4-digit powered Challenger is the seventh “last call” model for its traditional muscle cars which includes both Challenger and Charger models.  All of these are available for the 2023 model year and include:

• Challenger R/T Scat Pack Shakedown
• Charger Super Bee
• Challenger R/T Scat Pack Swinger
• Charger R/T Scat Pack Swinger
• Charger King Daytona
• Challenger Black Ghost
• Challenger Demon 170

We have some but not all of these models in our  Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Bellingham inventory but we can find them if you are interested. And if your interest is in the “new pinnacle of factory crazy”, orders are being taken now, so give us a visit.