FAST AND FURIOUS FUN
Forget about Fezzas and Lambos for outright performance. For more than half their prices, there are the blistering Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and Nissan GT-R Nismo
Are these pumped-up models of existing cars?
Yes they are. Dodge, under the guidance of Fiat Chrysler Automotive, has taken the Challenger to a new extremity in performance.
The Challenger SRT Demon uses the brand’s 6.2-litre Hemi V8. And with a couple of modifications here and there, most notably with a bigger supercharger, power and torque has swelled to 840hp and 1,045Nm respectively.
The eight-speed automatic transmission has also been taken from the 707hp Challenger SRT Hellcat but has been beefed up for the Demon’s monstrous performance.
The Nissan GT-R, meanwhile, has been updated once again for 2017 to help keep it fresh after being in existence for a decade. The Nismo treatment has boosted power of the 3.8-litre twinturbo V6 from 550hp to 600hp.
Unlike the rear-drive Dodge, the Nissan utilises all-wheel-drive whose grunt is delivered from a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.
how fAst Are they?
As Nissan only provides an official acceleration figure for the US market, the time is measured from 0-96kph (0-60mph) rather than the more familiar 0-100kph test. The GT-R is claimed to do that in 2.7sec.
Dodge, on the other hand, says the Demon can do 0-96kph in 2.3sec. Moreover, it is claimed that the mad Demon can run the quarter mile in 9.65sec at 224kph.
According to the chaps at Dodge, the Demon is officially banned by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) in the US because it is too fast for the dragstrip.
Other bold claims include an acceleration g-force rate of 1.8g and the Demon’s ability to lift the front wheels by 890mm under hard acceleration.
wow! how’s thAt possible?
Well, apart from the 800hp-plus power it has, the Demon has shed some 90kg of unnecessary weight. The front passenger seat, for one, has been chucked out of the car (although buyers can have it back from the dealer if they want).
Punters can also specify skinny front tyres in the style of dragsters. But the most important element for the wheelie action is the so-called Drag mode, which softens the dampers and springs of the suspension to ease the weight transfer to the rear.
The GT-R won’t be able to do wheelies like in the Demon, but its relatively advanced all-wheel-drive system is well known to give it surefooted grip when accelerating hard in conditions you might have thought to not be so grippy.
A new feature for the GT-R model year 2017 is the so-called R-Mode Start launch control to help give an immense level of longitudinal g-force when stepping hard on the gas pedal from standstill.
thAt sounds legAl And fun! how much do they cost?
Only 3,300 Demons will be made for the North American car market when first deliveries start in the third quarter of this year. Like the base car (of which only a few are seen on Thai roads in left-hand-drive form), the Demon can only be fetched through independent channels and would cost more than 10 million baht.
The same goes for the GT-R Nismo that would cost just as much — but more than half of what similarly performing Fezzas and Lambos are asking for in price. Enthusiasts would need to turn to independent importers for either of them because Dodge isn’t represented officially in Thailand anymore, while the Thai Nissan office is only focusing on locally-made models designed for the daily grind.