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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.

Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.

Dodge CEO and Gas Monkey Garage dissect the 10-second Challenger Hellcat

So far, whenever we've seen the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT with its 707-horsepower, supercharged Hellcat V8, the muscle car has been smoking its tires. Dodge is finally proving that the SRT can do more than ruin perfectly good sets of rubber, though. In it's latest video, company CEO Tim Kuniskis hands the Hellcat off to the guys from Gas Monkey Garage to show how quickly the automaker's most powerful model can make it down the drag strip.
Of course, the only fitting contender to race against Dodge's latest top muscle car is its grandpa - a Hemi-powered 1971 Challenger, in this case. Before getting to the main event, the hosts also show off some of the SRT's unique features like the blanks in the grille that feed the intercoolers. We'll go ahead and spoil that the Hellcat makes its pass in the 10-second range, and the video admits the tires on the production version would take just a touch longer to cover the quarter-mile. However, you have to watch film to see just how quick it actually goes. Scroll down to see a classic example of American muscle drag racing against its modern legacy.