On Tuesday, March 21, an image surfaced online claiming that the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 that had debuted at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the night before was stolen just after the debut. That post was accompanied by a picture shown below of the back of the Demon 170 with “STOLEN” written across it. That … Read more
Ram head Mike Koval Jr. has shown the upcoming midsize Ram pickup, but only to dealers at a meeting in Las Vegas. Automotive News reported on a dealer’s views of the pickup, which he said exceeded his expectations—and was “spectacular.” The new battery-electric pickup matches the “aesthetic” of the Ram 1500 Revolution from January, pictured … Read more
One of the less-likely NASCAR champions was a full-sized L-head straight-six car from a premium brand, brought out in the same year as the first, 180-bhp Chrysler Hemi. The Fabulous Hudson Hornet may not have had a V8, but it had three other things going for it: lighter weight, a stiff unibody, and a sunken floor and engine which gave it phenomenal handling when compared to most American stock cars of the day. The straight-six was nearly as big as the first Hemi—308 cubic inches (while that first Hemi was 331 cid)—but was hooked up to a manual transmission and had less weight to push around.
When the embargo lifted on the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 on Monday, we focused on key parts of the new package, including power, performance, and production numbers, but we didn’t get into how this package makes so much more power than the closely-related Redeye. Today, we dive into what makes the Demon 170’s supercharged Hemi so much more powerful—reaching 1,075 horsepower. (See our initial piece about the 1,025-horsepower, 8-second Demon 170).
When Tim Kuniskis introduced the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 to a small group of media in early March, he held up a camshaft and said that it was the only component that was directly shared between the 6.2-liter Hemi in the Demon 170 and the 6.2-liter Hemi in the Redeye. Everything else was revised in some way, if not replaced altogether.
When Dodge introduced the new Hornet last August, the production-ready GT and R/T models were joined by the GLH Concept – with GLH standing for Goes Like Hell, just as it did on the Omni GLH. That GLH Concept was based on the GT, which derives its power from a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that delivers 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, rather than the more powerful Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid.
On the surface, it seems like a smart decision to focus on the non-hybrid model for a performance package like the GLH, but with the R/T hybrid packing quite a bit more power, it seems like the better basis for a go-fast model – even though it is a fuel-friendly hybrid.
During the lead-up to the debut of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, Dodge showed teasers depicting what appeared to be a pair of leprechauns. Social media’s smoothest-brained users were quick to proclaim that they were ghouls, allegedly confirming the rumor that the Dodge brand was working on a package called the Ghoul, but that was not the case.
Earlier this month, Dodge invited a small group of media to the Auburn Hills headquarters to preview the Challenger SRT Demon 170. Brand boss Tim Kuniskis walked us through the key features and numbers of the newest supercharged muscle car; when he was done, he asked if there were any questions. As you might imagine after the reveal of a thousand-horsepower muscle car, there were plenty of questions about the Demon 170, but a few of us wondered why the teasers featured leprechauns. Kuniskis laughed and asked if we wanted the real story or the story from the marketing people. Of course, we wanted the real story…
Stellantis is investing €130 million into upgrades to its Eisenach Assembly Plant in Germany to make an electric successor to the Opel Grandland crossover. It will launch in the second half of 2024, part of the push to make Opel’s lineup completely electric-powered by 2028. Europe is shifting to electric cars rapidly, as automakers shift … Read more
We knew that the seventh and final Last Call special edition car would be more than an appearance package, but the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is more performance than we expected for less money than we expected. There is loads of information to unpack on this model, but we will cut to the chase and talk about the numbers that everyone really cares about.
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is powered by a 6.2-liter Hemi topped by a 3.0-liter IHI supercharger. When running on E85 (85% ethanol), it makes 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque. Even on 93 octane pump gas (E10 ethanol), the Demon 170 will make 900 horsepower and 810 lb-ft of torque. The driver doesn’t need to do anything when changing from gasoline to ethanol blends…. [more at the original story]
Automotive News recently ran a Reuters story on the problem of repairing electric cars after a crash that impacts the battery. They found a large variety of manufacturer attitudes towards this issue. Tesla has the least environmentally friendly design, integrating the batteries of its latest models into the unibody, so any damage requires scrapping the … Read more
Recall Monday brought more Ford recalls than usual. Their issues include:
Rupturing brake hoses (2013-2018 Ford Fusion/Lincoln MKZ)
Failing wipers (2021 F-150)
Rear caliper bolts (2022 F-53 and F-59)
Rear cameras (2021-22 Bronco)
Trailer lights not working (2023 Maverick)
We thought that the teasers for the final Dodge Last Call special edition car were finished, but this afternoon, another video featuring the evil Leprechaun debuted on the brand’s YouTube channel. This one is titled “Trip Wire” and it includes another numeric teaser that is not very hard to decipher. The video begins with a … Read more
Chrysler’s role in creating the Moon rockets has long been ignored; it’s not even mentioned on multiple Wikipedia pages which ignore the prime contractor but mention Rockwell and Boeing. Yet Chrysler did not just have a hand in creating the Saturn V vehicles used in the Apollo missions; they were the prime contractor for these and for the Redstone missiles which came before.
Chrysler started working with the combined Army-Air Force rocketry program from its earliest days, running the Warren, Michigan factory which produced the Redstone missiles. While the rocket engines and fuselages were produced by other companies, Chrysler coordinated them, put them together, designed and produced some of the electronic control and ground systems, and provided part of the ground support crews. The photo above, from the 1965 Chrysler Annual Report, clearly shows ground crew members wearing Chrysler shirts.
Motales recently recovered the story of Chrysler’s role in rocketry, including their work in developing digital telemetry for the Apollo missions. From the Redstones to the final launch (of Skylab), Chrysler was America’s chosen leader in aerospace. The company only left the business when NASA rejected its space shuttle design. (See https://www.motales.com/chrysler-corp/aerospace-defense/rockets-by-chrysler.php for more)
The 57th Easter Jeep Safari will be held on April 1-9 in Moab, Utah, and as is always the case, the Trail Rated brand will introduce a spread of new off-road-ready concept vehicles. Leading up to the massive off-road festival in Utah, the brand will tease these concept vehicles with a series of artwork. With … Read more
Someone claiming to be a salesman is claiming that a Jeep Wrangler refresh is coming soon. The basic design is the same, but the 2024 Wrangler is rumored to offer power seats, ventilated seats, new gauge cluster and UConnect with a larger 10-inch touch-screen. (2024 Jeeps are not shown below.) The 392 is to continue, with … Read more
Dodge has introduced the fourth (and possibly final) teaser of the final Last Call special edition muscle car that will debut next Monday in Las Vegas. This one is titled “HEMI Vice”. This is the fifth video in the Dodge series, but the fourth actual teaser for the last of the modern Mopar muscle cars … Read more
American Stellantis Marques had no recalls in the past week, but Ford managed to sell 2023 F-150s, Expeditions, and Navigators without heat-treated front axle pinions, and have inactive defoggers in 2023 Transits….
