To send off its V8-powered muscle cars in style, Dodge created a series of Last Call models that took the capabilities of the Challenger and Charger cars to new heights. Chief among those was the Challenger SRT Demon 170, which packed in an eye-watering 1,025 HP when running on E85 fuel and cost well over six figures. Dodge made just over 3,000 of them, and they all sold out. Now, a rare convertible version of the ridiculous muscle car has crossed the auction block for more than double what its owner paid.
Hang on, a convertible Challenger SRT Demon 170? That doesn’t sound right, or real. Well, it was never actually an option offered by Dodge, and instead the car that sold at Mecum Auction’s Indy 500 sale this week was actually modified by the owner.
The car, which was one of 10 Demon 170s up for sale this week, was modified by Droptop Customs – one of the few places you can get a Dodge-approved convertible conversion kit for the Challenger, reports CarScoops. As the site explains:
In fact, it’s the absence of that hardtop that makes this Demon 170 worth more than many of its counterparts. Approved by Dodge itself, this original version of the flagship Challenger muscle car went to Drop Top Customs in Florida for its haircut. The team there has actually been performing conversions for many years on Challengers, so it’s adept at this sort of job.
After chopping the roof off of the car, the team adds additional aluminum bracing to maintain body strength. They also add a canvas top and motorize it to retract and rise at the push of a button. It stores in the trunk area where further customization takes place. In the end, the buyer has a drop-top Challenger, in this case, a Demon 170 trim, and still maintains some trunk storage space in the process.
The build would have cost the owner $25,000 plus any options they wanted to add and, obviously, looks fantastic. The detailing on the chop-job is second to none and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything to indicate that this wasn’t done by the Dodge factory in Brampton, Ontario. There should be little surprise, then, that it sold for an awful lot of money. Bidding hit $242,000 when it crossed the auction block this week, which is more than double the MSRP on the Demon 170.
And while you don’t get a roof for all that cash, you do get an awful lot of car. At its heart is the 6.2 liter V8 engine that can produce more than 1,000 hp and power this car from zero to 60 mph in 1.66 seconds. This engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic and there’s advanced disc brakes at each corner when you do need to slow down.
The car is finished in a pitch black colorway and still comes with its daft little fender protectors attached. There’s also a “demonic” red leather interior, as Dodge calls it, and a whole heap of carbon fiber details throughout.
