The Dodge Demon is a ridiculous car. Running on 100 octane fuel, it will crank out 840 horsepower and dash across 1,320-feet of tarmac in 9.65 seconds. It’s a focused machine that cares very much about power and straight-line speed, and it’s amazing that any automaker decided this was the right way to spend its own money… and we, of course, love it.
Someone over at Automotive News feels a bit differently. We’d tell you which author has this opinion, but no one has assigned a byline to this rather ridiculous editorial piece. To save you a trip, the gist here is that the author wants the Dodge Demon to be banned from public roads.
Laudably, the entire industry has made great strides toward improved vehicle safety in recent years, even as it dials up performance capabilities. But with the Demon, Dodge spits on that goal and irresponsibly moves in the opposite direction, knowingly placing motorists in danger in the process.
Oddly enough, for a vehicle designed to be a purpose-built drag racer, the Demon has already been banned from regulated drag strips by that sport’s sanctioning body, the National Hot Rod Association, allegedly for being “too fast.”
The Demon may comply sufficiently with the letter of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to legally be registered for on-road use, but in its current form it certainly doesn’t fulfill the spirit of those standards.
First off, the NHRA bit is true but it’s also a slick bit of marketing on Dodge’s part. The NHRA is actually excited for this car because they believe that those owners wishing to actually take it to the strip will install the necessary bits needed to comply with the rules. That means more folks talking about drag racing. If you go faster than 10.00 in a stock production car, you need to have a cage, window nets, a competition license, and all of the safety clothing.
From the NHRA: “It’s very exciting to see that the factories are building amazing new performance cars like the Dodge Demon, and we certainly encourage any new racers to come out and participate in our events.”
Now as soon as all of the stats of the Demon were unveiled, the Internet lit up with chatter about how soon it will be before a Demon is wrecked on the side of the road. The same thing happened with the Hellcat when it first launched. There were maybe a handful of wrecks, but I’d argue it was far fewer than people actually expected.
The possible reason for this is that the Hellcat is priced at a premium. If you want a high-horsepower machine and you’re also an idiot, there are tons of more affordable vehicles out there that can cause plenty of damage with your fists of ham at the helm. While the Hellcat is capable of lunatic feats, it’s not priced at a point where lunatic people have easy access to it.
The Demon is even further out of reach. It will be near the $100,000 mark, and that’s before any dealers apply their sure-to-be-massive “market adjustments”.
Calling for the Demon to be banned from public roads is quite a knee jerk reaction to what has been, up to now, just aggressive marketing from Dodge. There’s no calling for the more-powerful LaFerrari to be banned. Porsche isn’t being told that its rocket ship-quick 911 Turbo S is a menace to society. Tesla has its Model S that can accelerate so quickly it makes its passengers nauseous. Hell, Ford isn’t on trial for handing out Mustangs to morons.
Asking for a ban on the Demon because of its potential is dumb. It actually gives me insight into how gun owners feel, to be quite honest, when they react to any news about gun legislation. Ending your diatribe with this line “To borrow a phrase from Ralph Nader, the Demon remains unsafe at any speed.” is also a bit inane.
The 840-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon from Fiat Chrysler is so inherently dangerous to the common safety of motorists that its registration as a road-worthy automobile should be banned.
You know what’s more dangerous than someone driving their Demon down the highway? The person in the Prius next to them with their nose in their phone. The un-cared for car in the other lane with a tire that’s about to blow and one working brake light. The roadways that need to be overhauled because our infrastructure is literally crumbling. The teenager who just got their license but received horrible driving instruction and really isn’t ready to be on their own. All of those are significantly more dangerous than the person driving his or her Demon down the road, paying attention to traffic around them, and keeping their fancy new $100,000 Dodge from getting dinged up.
This article written by the guy who put his byline above the post.
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