The long-awaited final edition of the Hemi-powered Dodge Challenger is here. With 1,025 horsepower on E85 fuel and a quarter-mile time quick enough to get it banned from drag strips, the Challenger SRT Demon 170 likely doesn't disappoint muscle car fandom. But what about all the bizarre Last Call teasers with the creepy monster leprechaun? If you were expecting this to be called Challenger SRT Leprechaun, perhaps you are a bit disappointed.
At this point, now would be a good time to read our comprehensive Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 debut article if you haven't already. And if you have no idea what this leprechaun business is about, revisit the most recent Last Call teaser in which we mention all six of the bizarre spots. Now that we're all on the same page ... what the hell Dodge? With this bonkers Challenger finally revealed, there isn't a leprechaun in sight. So what's the deal with the monster leprechaun starring in the teasers?
As it turns out, that was literally a figment of the imagination from none other than Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis, conjured up while the company was trying to figure out what to do for the car's teaser campaign.
"I had a dream about weird, evil leprechauns one night," he explained during a media event for the Demon 170. "I may have had a couple beers before I went to sleep, but I had a dream about these weird evil leprechauns and I woke up – we were struggling with what we're going to do for the teaser campaign for this car. I woke up and said that's it."
Gallery: 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
That's not the end of the story, however. Kuniskis then adds the marketing side of the story, explaining that leprechaun lore says they're really fast, hard to catch, they drink a lot, and if you catch them, you get their gold. He equates the gold (and the prolific drinking) to E85 fuel; as for being fast and hard to catch, there isn't really anything outside a legit race car that can compete on a drag strip. So maybe it should've been called the leprechaun after all?
"Liquid gold. E85. Almost seems like we planned it. Maybe I planned it in my sleep," commented Kuniskis.
In any case, that's where the batshit crazy teaser videos came from. As for the future, who knows what dream warriors could be lurking in the executive minds at Dodge for next-gen performance vehicles.
