Dodge picks Mickey Thompson for 'Last Call' Demon muscle car

LAS VEGAS—As the "muscle car" era races toward its inevitable demise, the last bastion of the genre — the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170—is bowing out in a 1,000-plus horsepower billow of tire smoke.

To make sure that overabundance of internal combustion-generated power gets translated into forward motion, the Stellantis N.V. team tasked with developing the final "Last Call" special-edition Challenger model turned to Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, which delivered a modified version of its ET Street R in size P315/50R17 for Challenger SRT Demon.

Unveiled to the press in Las Vegas March 20, the SRT Demon 170 is rated at up to 1,025 hp when running on E85 fuel and 900 hp with E10 gasoline. This model is the seventh iteration of the Challenger SRT Demon, which debuted in 2018.

This latest SRT Demon will be the last Dodge-badged ICE muscle car. The brand is looking to bring its attitude to electric vehicles, as evidenced by the preview last summer of electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept.

Dodge's first electrified model, the Hornet R/T plug-in hybrid, arrives at dealerships in late spring.

The "stock" Challenger Demon 170 can jet from 0 to 60 mph in 1.66 seconds and turn the quarter mile in a National Hot Rod Association-certified 8.91 seconds at 151.2 mph.

Translating that horsepower and the Demon 170's 945 ft-lbs of torque into quick quarter-mile times is the duty of the tires.

"Nobody puts power to the ground like Mickey, and nobody creates power like Dodge," Mickey Thompson Tires President Dominick Montouri said.

"Dodge values record-breaking performance as much as we do, and they truly broke every barrier with this vehicle."

The car generates over 2Gs of force at launch, Stellantis said.

The rear tire features additional tread grooves for improved on-street performance, Mickey Thompson said, allowing Demon 170 owners to switch from the strip to the street without the need for tire modifications.

"60-foot times in the mid-120's in a production car doesn't happen without a balanced and optimized suspension," Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand CEO at Stellantis, said.

"The Mickey ET Street R's hook so hard it allowed us to get much more aggressive with our suspension and trans-brake tuning."

Mickey Thompson also developed an ET Street Front 245/55R18 to create a staggered fitment designed to transfer power to the rear tires; allowing for reduced weight, lower rolling resistance and improved dynamic and handling balance to put the Challenger SRT Demon 170's power to the ground.

The tires on the Challenger SRT Demon 170 are specific to that vehicle, Mickey Thompson said, and not available for purchase.

Mickey Thompson Tires is a Goodyear subsidiary.