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Ranking Dodge's Charger Hellcat with the fastest sedans in the world

"This is a car that most brands would never bring to market." - Tim Kuniskis
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis had reason to be confident, perhaps even a bit cocky at the reveal of his brand's newest halo car, the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. As he said simply, it's the "quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world."

The last time Dodge recycled the Demon name, it was for a Miata fighter

We and the rest of the automotive world are eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Dodge Challenger Demon. And why wouldn't we be? It's going to be a Hellcat, but with less weight, bigger fenders, more performance, and more Vin Diesel. This isn't the first time we've been excited about a Demon from Dodge, though. Ten years ago, Dodge had another demonic car, but it was very different from the new one. The Demon of 2007 was a lithe little roadster that looked primed and ready to take on the Miata, as well as the now-departed Solstice and Sky twins. The Demon was just under an inch shorter than the MX-5 and the Solstice, and it packed a 172 horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder that fell right between the Miata's 170 and the Solstice's 177 outputs. Dodge's estimated the curb weight, which for a concept is largely theoretical, also slotted between the two cars at 2600 pounds. That was about 150 more than the Mazda, and about 200 less than the Pontiac. The pitch perfect specifications were presented in a crisp two-seat roadster wrapper. In many ways, it looked like a baby Viper, with a menacing crosshair grille, slanted headlights, and fat rear fenders. The Demon's line's were brutally simple and geometric, too. They didn't seem far removed from the first-generation Audi TT. The interior was also plain and simple. The key highlights were a horizontal aluminum accent that ran the width of the dash, echoed by an aluminum-covered center console. The instrument cluster was uncluttered, with just four gauges, and the only controls were some climate knobs, a double-DIN head unit, and a six-speed manual. It turns out that the 2007 Demon didn't drive very well, though. You see, we actually drove this concept back in the day, and like many concepts, it still had a long way to go to be production ready. The gearbox would grind, the ride quality was terrible. However, the interior was roomy, and the engine sounded suitably grumbly, if a bit coarse. At the time, we said Dodge should absolutely build the little roadster. In retrospect, the company probably made the right decision not to invest in the Demon. The small rear drive sports car segment was, and still is, an extremely niche market. It would have been a big investment for little return, something FCA today is trying to avoid. This is all before taking into account the fact that the recession was just around the corner. In the end, we can't be too sad though.

Dodge Demon test mule spotted wearing unusual camouflage

The Dodge Demon apparently refuses to stay under wraps. The endless rollout of teasers continues each Thursday, but thanks to both Vin Diesel and our trusty spy photographer we have a whole suite of photos that show a nearly complete car in the flesh. This car appears to have been hiding in plain sight, as some of these photos were captured in the Detroit area. The car or cars in these photos is far less polished than the one shown in all of Dodge's teasers. The Air Grabber hood is unpainted, though it does come with some awesome hood pins. The same goes for the bolt-on fenders, as other pictures show a cleaner integration of the Demon's widebody modification. Despite the large Nitto logo on the top of the windshield, the cars in these photos are both wearing a set of Pirelli PZero All-season Plus tires on non-Demon wheels. It's as if drag radials aren't the best choice for winter driving. This car is fitted with two-piece Brembo brakes, but there's no telling if they're different than the standard Hellcat's. The decals on the side of the car may give clues to some of the Demon's equipment, but based on the LB Performance - commonly known as Liberty Walk- logo, the decals are likely more of a ruse than anything else. Liberty walk is famous in the tuning community for big, bolt-on body kits. The looks perfectly suit these test cars, though Borla exhaust and a Hurst shifter would be a wonderful addition to the Demon. Outside of that, there isn't much new to glean from these photos. Most of our questions about the Demon (horsepower, gearing, price) can't be had from pictures. Look for more news each Thursday in the lead up to the car's debut in New York in April. Related Video: Featured Gallery Dodge Demon Spy Shots View 14 Photos Related Gallery Dodge Demon Teasers View 17 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Spy Photos Dodge Coupe dodge hellcat