As the gas-fueled Challenger era is coming to a close, the 2023 Dodge Challenger will be the last of its kind as Dodge and other vehicle manufacturers are moving towards a zero-emission world and so now would be a good time to get yourself a true muscle car before they all become electric.
When it comes to muscle cars, the Dodge challenger is probably the first thought that comes to mind, and in 2018, Dodge reinforced its dominion over the muscle car debate with the Challenger Demon.
The Demon was a muscle car so powerful it felt like a sin; however, it was limited, and if you weren’t one of the lucky few to get your hands on one, you might think that you’ll never own a muscle car as powerful.
That’s not the case, luckily, as Dodge released the 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, a slightly weaker, yet, by all means, powerful Challenger trim that is almost every bit as good as the Demon, and here’s why.
If Satan Himself Were To Make A Car, The Aptly Named Demon Would Be It
Released in 2018, the Dodge Challenger Demon is a truly demonic muscle car. The Demon is fitted with a hellish 6.2L Hemi V8 engine paired with a 2.7L supercharger, producing an earth-shattering 808 HP and 717 lb-ft of torque. Delivering all those HPs to the tarmac is an 8-speed manual transmission system.
Since the Demon is so low on power, you could feed it high-octane fuel from the Demon Crate to push that already staggering 808 HP to a mind-blowing 840 HP, increasing the torque to 770 lb-ft. That much power translates into a 0-30 in only one second flat, a 0-60 in only 2.3 seconds, and a quarter-mile run in only 9.65 seconds, making it the fastest production car ever when it comes to acceleration.
To make this already special car even more unique, Dodge only made 3,300 and sold it for only one year, making it a very valuable one-off muscle car that not only delivers far more than the $85,000 you paid for but will continue to grow in value.
The Demon’s Worthy Successor: The Super Stock
With the Demon being a limited edition model, many muscle car and Dodge fans missed out on that devilish machine; however, Dodge noticed the high demand people had for the Demon and saw it as a fantastic opportunity, and subsequently, the Super Stock was born.
As the world was already in love with the ferocious Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and its maximum output of 797 HP and 707 lb-ft of torque, Dodge revealed a demon spawn.
The 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock does its name justice as “super,” is an understatement. Just like the Hellcat Redeye, the Super Stock is also fitted with the 6.2L HEMI V8, with the difference being an additional 10 HP, putting the Super Stock’s HP output at 807 HP, almost at the same level as the Demon on regular fuel (808 HP), however equal to the Demon in terms of torque.
With Demon-like output, the Super Stock also has Demon-like acceleration with a 0 to 60 of only 3.25 seconds, which is one second longer than the Demon, and a quarter-mile run of 10.5 seconds, also about one second longer than the Demon.
According to the Kelley Blue Book website, the Super Stock will cost you around $75,000 to $79,000, which isn’t exactly cheap but, in comparison to other 800+ HP cars, is pretty decent.
The Super Stock Is Just As Hellish On The Drag Strip
More than anything else, the Demon was built to leave its opponents in its dust on the drag strip and to truly be a successor to such a menace, you have to be just as devilishly quick and drag-strip equipped, and the Super Stock is just that.
Like the Demon, the Super Stock is fitted with lightweight 18-by-11-inch wheels with a classy low gloss granite finish and sticky Nitto NT05R drag radials. While that does give the Super Stock a grip to die for, it also means four-piston Brembo and 14.2-inch vented rotors are used up front as opposed to the six-piston Brembo/15.4-inch discs offered on the Hellcat Redeye with 20-inch wheels.
To make the Super Stock an even better drag-racing machine, Dodge has integrated the clever pieces of tech that make the Demon such a beast into the Super Stock as well. Launch control, Power Chiller, Line Lock, Race Cooldown, and Torque Reserve are only some features that strengthen the Super Stock’s drag-racing capabilities.
Further enhancing the Super Stock’s drag-racing abilities is the Super Stock’s performance-tuned asymmetrical limited-slip differential with a 3.09 final drive ratio, with asymmetrical referring to asymmetrical axles in terms of length with helps controlling wheel hop. Handling the weight and power of this beast is a uniquely tuned high-performance Bilstein suspension.
The Super Stock is the true heir to the Demon as it’s built for burning up the drag strip like its predecessor, and unless you run into a Demon, the Super Stock is guaranteed to beat any other production muscle car on the strip.