The 840-horsepower Hemi that lies under the hood of the limited-production Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is going to go down in history as one of the all-time “f**k you, we’re going to have fun” bombshells that any American automobile manufacturer has ever successfully let loose. This wasn’t a racing special. This wasn’t an invite-only deal. If you had the cash and ordered up before the supplies ran out, you got a Demon. Yes, they were limited production, but it’s not like Dodge didn’t have a lovely parting gift or two if you didn’t order in time. This was an engine that put out power figures that jaw-dropped the entire world for the second time, a world that was still picking it’s collective jaw up off of the floor after the 707-horsepower Hellcat had dropped the first bomb on the unsuspecting. The only way the fun gets better is to buy a crate motor or learn how to tune on nitromethane.

So, what’s all the trickery that makes a Challenger Demon about twice as powerful as the vaunted 1970 Hemi Challenger? Really, not much…it’s a cam-in-block pushrod mill that displaces 376 cubic inches that’s fed supercharged and intercooled air thanks to an IHI-supplied blower. That’s it. It’s a blown Hemi, the same basic idea that’s been rocking the hell out of dragstrips for over a half-century, with 21st century technology. It’ll run cleaner than anything from 1970 could dream of, and it’ll still punch you in the chest without remorse when you drill the pedal off of the line. Want to see every last part and piece go together to make a monster? Hagerty put together another one of their killer time-lapse build videos for the Demon…it’s worth the watch!