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Dodge Demon lightweight by SpeedKore Performance comes to SEMA

We already know that the Dodge Demon is crazy fast. We experienced that firsthand. But its more than ample amounts of built-in speed doesn't mean that owners won't be tinkering with it to make it faster. But if you don't want to add more power (or even if you do), you can always make the car lighter. That's what SpeedKore Performance Group has done, and it will bring its lightweight carbon fiber Dodge Challenger SRT Demon to the SEMA show in Las Vegas, where it will be introduced by none other than rock legend Sammy Hagar. Last year, SpeedKore brought its carbon fiber-bodied Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat to SEMA, and now it has applied the same treatment to the 840-horsepower Demon. The body panels and spoilers will be manufactured using SpeedKore's autoclave in Grafton, Wisconsin. SpeedKore will also be one of many companies bringing a modified Ford Mustang to SEMA. A carbon-bodied Ford Shelby GT350R by SpeedKore was recently featured on "Jay Leno's Garage." Last year, Leno also drove SpeedKore's 1970 Dodge Charger Tantrum, which features a carbon fiber front end and a 1,650-horsepower Mercury Marine engine. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Speedkore Dodge Challenger SRT Demon: SEMA 2017 View 13 Photos Related Gallery SpeedKore Performance 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon News Source: SpeedKore Performance GroupImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Aftermarket Celebrities SEMA Show Dodge Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance dodge demon dodge challenger srt demon SEMA 2017 speedkore performance

FCA's shifter fiasco proves novel gear selectors are a bad idea

What's wrong with PRNDL? Why are automakers trying to overly complicate the simple task of selecting gears? If there's any lesson to learn from the recent news that NHTSA is investigating 853,000 Fiat Chrysler vehicles over its problematic gear selectors, it's that the trend of fancy shifters needs to stop. Now. Last year, NHTSA opened an investigation into Jeep Grand Cherokee models, and has now expanded this probe to include the 2012-14 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. The problem? The shifter – assembled by ZF – is confusing for many drivers. "Testing ... indicates that operation of the (electronic) shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection," a NHTSA document states. More than 100 crashes and over a dozen injuries are linked to this problem, according to The Detroit Free Press. To us, the problem isn't just limited to FCA. These unnecessarily novel gear selectors are spreading like wildfire across the industry. Honda and Acura use a weird pushbutton setup. Lincolns have buttons on the dashboard. Jaguar's shifter electronically raises out of the center console. Mercedes uses a stalk with up-for-Reverse, down-for-Drive, push-for-Neutral arrangement. And what the hell is BMW thinking with its M cars? FCA has since abandoned the confusing shifters in question. The 300, Charger, and Grand Cherokee now use the rotary shift dial that's quickly proliferating across the company's brands. Simplistic gear selectors might not be sexy, but no one ever complained about not being able to find the right gear in a Hyundai Sonata. What's most interesting is that this NHTSA investigation could push FCA – and possibly other automakers – to redesign vehicle functions that otherwise operate as designed. Just because most people will never have a problem putting a Dodge Charger in Reverse doesn't mean there isn't a flaw with the design. But perhaps a more simplistic solution – good ol' PRNDL – would have prevented these issues from the start. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Copyright 2016 AOL Government/Legal Chrysler Dodge Jeep FCA shifters

Rare Dodge Daytona found in barn heads for auction

An American icon is headed to Mecum's Kissimmee, Florida auction next January. Charlie Lyons, owner of a restoration shop focused on old Chrysler products, got a lead on a two-owner 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that had been sitting in a barn in Glenwood, Alabama for decades. Dodge built 560 Charger Daytonas (Canada and US production) to homologate the model for NASCAR racing, and then that car and the successor Plymouth Superbird terrorized NASCAR tracks for 18 months. The production car, however, 18 feet long and considered ugly, wasn't popular at the time, so many were beat up or simply disappeared. Around 385 are thought to exist today. Lyons said the first owner of this car was the town judge, who bought it for his wife. In 1974 the second owner - just 18 years old at the time - bought it for $1,800 so he could drive it to Panama City, Florida, for Spring Break, and had flames painted on the front fenders and the scallops trimmed in white. Otherwise this barn find is complete and stock, with matching numbers throughout, R4 Charger Red paint and a white tail, bucket seats, center console, three-speed TorqueFlite automatic, and 20,553 miles on the 440-cubic-inch Magnum V8. Hot Rod has the long story of how Lyons found the car and convinced the owner to sell for what he jokingly called "a shoebox full of folded money." Hagerty says a concours-worthy model can command $262,000. Mecum's pre-sale estimate for this Charger Daytona is $150,000 to $180,000. That sounds steep, but Mecum did sell another perfectly restored Hemi-powered 1969 Charger Daytona for $900,000 at this year's Kissimmee auction to actor David Spade. Related Video: