Best Muscle Cars
2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock: Everything You Need To Know
By David Ashton
Since the release of the limited edition Dodge SRT Demon, those who weren’t lucky enough to snap up an example have been pining for something the same in an easily available package. The Dodge Redeye kept us quiet for a short while, but it just wasn’t the full fat 840hp or could pull wheelies on takeoff.
Usually, the likes of the Hellcat Widebody or the Hellcat Redeye with 797 horses would be enough for anybody. But too many horses is never enough in the muscle car world, so now we have the upcoming 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock with 807hp and most of its sensibilities borrowed from the Demon. This will essentially make it the most powerful production muscle car in the galaxy (unless somebody on Alpha Centauri has build something better).
Just like the Demon, the Challenger Super Stock is optimized for the dragstrip. While using more or less the same warp engine as the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 Redeye, just with some tweaks to the internals to give that extra umph of to 807hp (1bhp less than the Demon’s 808bhp). Although the exterior of the Super Stock will be largely the same as the Redeye, as toe mainly keep a stealthy exterior, it will have wheels and tires like the Demon, in the form of 315/40R18 Nitto NT05R drag radials. Stickier tires with larger sidewalls means faster launch times on the strip and more jealous looks from competitors.
The Super Stock borrows a few more key points from the Demon, such as the Launch Assist system, which works in conjunction with Launch Control. The launch assist system essentially governs wheel slippage and power going to the rear wheels, while line lock holds the four piston Brembo front brakes in place for the pre-requisite burnouts. If things get too hot to handle, the SRT Power Chiller and Race Cooldown keep everything at a good running temperature.
There’s also a shorter final-drive ratio of 3.09 and a Bilstein suspension. And when the car is thrown into Track mode, the front suspension is firmed up with a lighter rebound, with the rear forced with as much load as possible to retain traction.
The Super Stock will also borrow some of the goodies from the SRT range, like Performance Pages and the auto, sport, track and custom driving modes. As this is a general production model vehicle, it’s available in 13 exterior and five interior colors and should be able to order summer 2020.
All this technical wizardry will essentially equated to a 0-60 mph of 3.25 seconds and a quarter mile time of 10.5 seconds at 131 mph. This essentially steals the crown of the fastest muscle car from the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
No, You Can’t Make Demon Clone
If the thought has already crossed your mind that you could take the guts of the Super Stock and make a clone of the Dodge Demon, think again. Dodge simply don’t want to mess with the exclusivity of the Demon or make another like it. So, if you want Dodge Demon parts, you will have to cough up a Demon VIN number.
As explained over at Motorauthority.com in a conversation with Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis on why they want to keep the Demon in the very special books, “The advantage of Demon, the purpose of Demon was to come up with a suspension…that had maximum weight transfer. If you look at the very small, hollow sway bars, the spring ratings that we had, the tuning of the suspension. Add those things together and it was designed to give you tons of weight transfer and then you add together that with the trans brake that will load up the engine, allow you to launch with 8 pounds of boost. The combination of those two things, that’s where the magic of the Demon is.”
For how the Super Stock slots into the grand scheme of things, Kuniskis states that it is, ’15-20% of the way between a Hellcat Redeye and a Demon.’
Current and Future Plans
While we’re on feedback from the head of Dodge itself, over at musclecarsandtrucks.com, Mr. Kuniskis outlines the current ethos of the brand and possibly where it’s heading.
As we all basically knew, but it’s worth empirically stating, ‘The variants of Dodge’s vehicles are largely based on power and not ‘this one has leather and this one doesn’t.’ That has been very important for our growth.’ ‘What our customers want and the reason we went into the (drag racing) space is because seven times the amount of customers ‘identify’ with drag racing, compared to road course racing,” said Kuniskis. “It doesn’t mean they’ve ever been to a drag strip in their life. And it’s not because they’ve even been in a fast car. It’s because they’ve all been at a stop light, and all tried to race their buddy next to them.’
It’s also good to hear that the head of such a large division is a fan of the breed itself, no matter the make. As he states, “I’ve been waiting for a mid-engine Corvette since I was 15 I think… I love performance cars,” he said. “I’d love to drive a mid-engine Corvette. I’d love to drive a GT500. I don’t care who builds them.”
As nearly 3% of the vehicles sold in the US belong to Dodge, the Brotherhood of Muscle isn’t seeking global domination, but rather a steadfast fan base. It’s a bit like being a heavy rock fan. If you get it, you’re in it for life. But if not, that’s fine too.
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