The current-generation Dodge Challenger has nearly reached the end of its life cycle, and enthusiasts are scooping up the final examples. An anonymous collector paid $700,000 for the last Demon 170 model, though the proceeds from the sale will be donated to a charity.
Auctioned by Barrett-Jackson, and spotted by The Drive, the final Demon 170 doesn’t exist yet; someone paid $700,000 for a build slot. Dodge will end production of the Charger and the Challenger on December 31, 2023, so the last Demon 170 will presumably be built around that time. The person who won the build slot will be able to tick every box on the list of options, which is relatively long. Dodge reportedly charges $1,995 for a passenger-side front seat and a rear bench seat, $995 for a navigation system, and a whopping $9,995 for a sunroof.
To sweeten the deal, Barrett-Jackson notes that the auction winner will also get the opportunity to request a custom paint color. Time will tell what the last Challenger Demon 170 ends up looking like; we imagine that Dodge will release images of the coupe once it’s been built.
Despite these perks, paying $700,000 for a car that starts at $96,666 excluding a $1,595 destination charge and a $2,100 gas guzzler tax might seem insane. There’s a good reason for it: Dodge is donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale to a charity called Kristy House that “provides treatment, advocacy and coordination of services, within a healing environment, for all forms of child trauma.” It’s not unusual to see a car sold to benefit a charity sell for a jaw-dropping sum: a one-off Porsche 911 sold for a record-breaking $3.6 million in August 2022.
Even if it wasn’t the last of its kind, the Demon 170 would be a very special car. It’s limited to no more than 3,300 units, and it’s powered by a 6.2-liter V8 that relies on a 3.0-liter supercharger to develop 1,025 horsepower and 945 pound-feet of torque when burning E85 fuel. It also benefits from a long list of drag racing-ready parts, including a specific suspension system and soft Mickey Thompson ET Street R tires.
Read the full article here