Ok, it may be time to chow on a little crow. After digging (and more digging) it -may- turn out that some of what Mr. RacerX (and our own highly credible DRAGRCR) have recently reported as it relates to the elusive Last Call Car #7 could be closer to the truth than I originally surmised.
Now mind you, nothing has been OFFICIALLY said either way by Dodge brass (yet), but those who know TimK well -seem- to be leaking bits and pieces.
A few things I learned in the last 24h or so...
0. Believe it or not Mr. RacerX may in fact be getting some/most of his intel straight from Dodge. If you go back to his early posts he suggested that Dodge reached out to him. I am not a subscriber to the guy so I'm betting some of you may know more about his background. All I know is that he raced a modded HC a few years ago and has a fair number of followers, so Dodge may be using his ability to spread information quickly. Regardless, he needs to plant a tree or two in his yard! lol.
1. Zero percent chance Dodge can or wants to produce 3312 of these cars (i.e. the Demon production number). I am told a number closer to 500 is what is likely possible in this short run (esp with production and mechanical issues they are experiencing).
2. As for the recent mechanical issues that have been reported, my source (as well as that article you may have seen) says that the problem has been identified and production is back on schedule, albeit delayed from the initial timeline. We are now looking at some sort of announcement ~Q1 2023.
3. Dodge would like to limit 'flipping' since it will be a highly sought-after, valuable car. They also are not a fan of massive ADM gouging and their plan addresses both of these concerns.
4. Combining 1 and 2 above they may be looking at giving a shot to Demon owners who bought their car new AND still own it. This serves double duty of limiting flipping (since these owners could have flipped 100x over by now and haven't) and it also shrinks that 3312 Demon owner pool by a big percentage. 50%? 70% 80%? This route has not been set but is being seriously considered.
5. Horsepower may very well be in excess of 1000hp. This contradicts what I was originally told but to me, it makes more sense when you hear that they are grenading engines. 900hp? As many have noted here, that seems unlikely. 1000+? More likely. Anyhow not confirmed but this HP range was strongly hinted at by someone I trust. I have been unable to get more detail on how they get to their final number but others online are suggesting the Hellaphant 3.0 blower and a smaller pulley and of course E85. I asked about the "electric" supercharger but so far no one can confirm or deny that. To me the idea seems silly, but I guess you never know.
6. Dealers are completely in the dark. This is why I was hesitant to accept what DRAGRCR was suggesting initially. None of the big dealers are aware of this possible plan, and I've spoken to over 125 of them over the past couple of weeks. In fact, many are making car #7 lists and several are taking deposits on a car that has not been revealed. I guess keeping them in the dark makes sense if the plan is to cut them out of the process.
7. If all of this comes to pass (again -not certain-), there would be a registration process/window to show you are a Demon owner (and possibly that you are the original owner). There would then be an expedited approval process to make sure what you provided was indeed true.
8. I was told some or all of the payment would go directly through Dodge. The price would be MSRP, no ADM. The way it could work from there is how DRAGRCR said. The customer would decide what local dealer gets delivery.
9. Related to 7, my source says the powers that be are -not- a fan of a lottery. They would much rather be able to make enough cars that fit the end criteria Dodge ultimately uses (that also gets them into the desired production of ~300-700 units).
10. On that last point, I asked why such deference to Demon owners? Answer given: "Because they were promised that no Challenger would ever exceed the Demon." Well, this one will. So one way for Tim K to keep his word is to offer these owners an opportunity to buy this last-call car. If you look at it in that light, it begins to make sense. Tim is many things, including a guy who seems to be genuine and someone who doesn't want to go back on his word. Call me jaded, but I was surprised that this was an actual consideration.
Again, nothing above is a stone-cold fact but simply (well-placed) rumblings I am hearing from people in the know who I trust. A LOT has shifted apparently over the past week or so. Dodge is surely hearing about how Last Call Cars 1-6 are being jacked up to crazy levels. Another possible factor there could be news that the dealerships are also planning to ask ASTRONOMICAL ADMs for the #7 car if given the chance. No idea where they might have gotten that type of dealer-specific intel!
Maybe all the recent dealer skullduggery is shifting how Dodge will deal with their final ICE Halo Car. As of right now, the process definitely still seems to be fluid. The downtime to get the car right likely will also be used to figure out how to allocate it. Whatever they decide, at least it won't be rushed.
From where I am sitting, all of this intrigue is pretty interesting. It reminds me of the massive hype build-up for the Demon. I think it would be fitting if Dodge goes out on a similar hype-machine extravaganza...
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