In 1971, Dodge named its version of the Plymouth Duster the “Demon.” As was Mopar custom in the late 1960s and early 1970s, whimsical typography and a cartoon mascot—in this case, a mischievous li’l devil whose pitchfork formed the “m” in the car’s name—ruled the day. As cutesy as it was, some pious folks weren’t pleased with the more Satanic implications of the name, and for 1973, the Demon name was replaced by the more staid “Dart Sport.” Forty-plus years later, after the success of the vaguely Beelzebubbian Hellcat badge, FCA has revived the Demon nameplate for what it terms “Dodge’s new ultimate performance halo.” Welcome, then, the rumored Challenger formerly known as ADR, set to debut in April at the New York auto show.
Unlike the old Demon, which was a sporting version of an economy model, the new Demon will serve as the top machine in Dodge’s lineup now that the Viper is heading off to that great snake pit in the sky. Set to feature wider bodywork, the Demon is likely to boast a few other surprises and may be more track-oriented than the boulevard bruiser Hellcat. So far, signs point to the 707-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 carrying over unchanged in the transition from hellfeline to hellperson.
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Dodge is teasing the runup to the Demon’s unveiling with a series of video clips at ifyouknowyouknow.com. The first clip starts off as if it might not be out of place as a Marvel film cold open, then, shazam! Metallica! Regrettably, Dodge didn’t see fit to license 1983’s “Jump in the Fire,” which seems like a no-brainer to us. They’ve still got 11 more clips to get that right. Sit back and prepare for an onslaught of hellteasing, as the Demon soon will be upon us.
Davey G. Johnson has been writing about the machines that move us since 2001. His first automobile was an El Camino, his first motorcycle a Guzzi, and his first sports car a Porsche, informing his admittedly fungible belief that one should haul American, drive German, and ride Italian.
