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The Dodge Demon's massive torque wrinkles its massive tires

Horsepower doesn't mean a damn thing if a car can't properly put the power down. That's why Dodge has fitted the upcoming Demon with some of the stickiest road-legal rubber available. Those Demon-branded Nitto NT05R drag radials skirt by regulations with just the smallest of margins, and in order to maximize the potential of the 315/40R 18 size tires Dodge increased the car's torque multiplication with a higher stall speed for the torque converter and a 3.09 rear axle. The 12.6-inch-wide tires are fitted to 18x11-inch wheels at all four corners, and they're fatter than those 305-section front tires on the Camaro Z/28 that we raved about years ago. Dodge says the combination of soft, gooey rubber and the new gear ratio gives the Demon about a 15 percent larger tire contact patch, more than twice as much grip, and roughly an 18 percent increase in both converter torque and rear-axle torque multiplication. Simply put, the Dodge Demon moves. You can see the results in the teaser video above, which is titles "Multiplication" and shows the crazy wrinkling of the sidewall that results from putting that torque to the road. We wouldn't be surprised if the inner rim of the wheel needs some grip to keep the tire seated, something Chevy had to do on the last Z/28. There is something wonderful about Dodge's approach to performance cars. While the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have moved on from their muscle car upbringings with proper track-focused models, Dodge has stayed true to its roots by developing a machine that's sole intent is traveling a quarter-mile quicker than anything else on the road. Twisty roads may be fun, but there is something wholly and deeply satisfying about going deep into the accelerator with a comical amount of power at your disposal. We can't wait. Related Video: New York Auto Show Dodge Coupe Performance dodge demon dodge hellcat dodge challenger srt demon drag strip

SRT reveals Satin Vapor Edition 300, Charger and Challenger SRT models

With the exception of some notable truck and van introductions, Chrysler brands have tended to use the Chicago Auto Show to bring out new special editions, pimp their aftermarket parts support or indulge in the occasional flight of fancy. That plan is holding true for 2014, as well. Cases in point are these new Satin Vapor Editions of the 2014-model-year Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 - all from SRT.
The Satin Vapor name may sound like a failed 1970s glam-rock band, or a pseudo-gynecological diagnosis from the Old West, but is, in fact, pretty much a tape-and-trim package for this trio of hi-po Mopars. 300, Challenger and Charger alike come shod with 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in Black Satin Vapor Chrome, and are accented with Satin Black bits aplenty. The 300 gets blacked-out mirrors, spoiler and roof; the Challenger applies it to mirrors and its fuel door; while the Charger has the stuff covering its roof, hood and Super Bee tail graphic.
Interiors of the cars have been mildly updated as well, with all three getting some combination of Nappa leather, ultra-suede and carbon-fiberish finishes.

Cruise Woodward Avenue with Autoblog's Dodge Challenger Hellcat

While Autoblog was consumed by coverage of the increasingly important Monterey Car Week last weekend, there was another big even going on. The Woodward Dream Cruise is significantly lighter in terms of news, but there's no denying that it's a far bigger, and far more egalitarian than what the wine-and-cheese crowd experience on the links at Pebble Beach. The Dream Cruise crams tens of thousands of cars and over a million spectators along a four-lane ribbon of asphalt between Ferndale and Pontiac, MI. What's remarkable aren't these numbers, though, so much as the distances they travel. Owners and admirers come from far and wide, across the United States and in some cases across the globe, to take in the spectacle. This year, local radio and television coverage featured fans that traveled from Japan, Australia, and Europe, just to take in the cruise. Of course, we realize that not everyone can make the pilgrimage to Woodward Avenue. With that fact in mind, we decided to bring a bit of the Dream Cruise to Autoblog with a time-lapse video of the cruise route. You can experience the good (a Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Chevelle, and Oldsmobile Cutlass 442), the bad (the traffic jams), and the ugly (no, your 2003 Ford Focus does not qualify as a classic, get the hell out of the cruiser lanes). So join us, as we turn off 8 Mile Road behind the wheel of our 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and run north, through Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Bloomfield Township, and Bloomfield Hills, before ending up on Wide Track Drive in Pontiac.