2019 Corvette ZR1 versus Dodge Demon Showdown

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A supercharged showdown that would make anybody proud to be an American. 

For nearly two years, the Dodge Demon has been showered with superlatives. Fiat-Chrysler’s 840 horsepower beast has been hailed as a factory-built drag strip special. Maybe it’s even the best quarter-miler to ever come straight from the factory.

As a Corvette fan, doesn’t that just bug the hell out of you?

Well, fear not. Thanks to That Racing Channel, the Demon has met its match in the all-new 2019 Corvette ZR1 at Palm Beach International Raceway. Needless to say, the results sure are entertaining.

On the first run, the cameraman, riding shotgun in the Demon, spies the ZR1 and says ‘that’s a bad bitch right there.’ He’s right. For those not in the know (there has to be one or two of you, right?) the ’19 ZR1 is arguably the most formidable ‘Vette to ever come from Bowling Green. With 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque on tap, the ZR1 can scramble from zero to 60 in an eye-watering 2.9 seconds. What’s more, it’s aggressive aero and wide tires keep it stuck to the track. Top speed? Somewhere around 210 miles per hour. As one of the video crew says after a ride: ‘that’s that level of power that I can’t even believe is in a street car.’

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 with its foe, the 2018 Dodge Demon.

The Challenger – literally

On the other hand, there’s the Demon. The latest and greatest Challenger variant has a blown 6.2 liter Hemi V8 cranking out all that power. With an available “Drag Pak” to make it even more formidable on the quarter-mile, the Demon rockets from zero to 60 in just 2.3 seconds. There is, however, a caveat: Top speed here is just 168.

And that’s what makes this video all the more soothing. Because the Demon pulls ahead of the ZR1 the three times they race. But give the cars a long enough straightaway, and the ‘Vette wins by a lot. Hell, just throw in a corner and see what happens to the Dodge.

That Racing Channel gives us the goods up front. But the ZR1 goes on to battle a number of tough competitors. It faces a 1,600 horsepower Nissan GT-R, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, and a McLaren 720S. Of these, the ‘Vette goes one for three. If you want to know any more details, you’ll just have to watch what happens. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.

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James Derek Sapienza has worked as a writer and editor in the world of automotive journalism since 2015.

He has a BS in History at SUNY Brockport, with a focus on American popular culture. A fan of the classics with a special interest in German cars, he is a proud owner of a 1991 W124 Mercedes. He is a frequent contributor to Mustang Forums, MBWorld, 5Series, Rennlist, and more.

Sapienza can be reached at JDS.at.IBA@gmail.com


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