The song "The Party's Over" was written nearly 70 years ago, but the lyrics may strike a chord with today's classic car lovers.
"The party's over," the tune tells us, "it's time to call it a day."
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In this case, the party is ending for Dodge's brand of V-8 muscle cars as parent company Stellantis (STLA) said it will stop making gas versions of the Dodge Challenger and Charger and the Chrysler 300 big sedan by the end of the year.
The Canadian factory that makes all three cars will be retooled to make electric versions of larger cars starting next year.
"Sad day for American muscle, these cars are badass," one person tweeted.
"We will never see this again," another post read.
'The Most Powerful Muscle Car in the World'
But the gas monsters ain't going quietly.
The automaker introduced the 1,025-horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 on March 20, declaring it to be "the quickest, fastest and most powerful muscle car in the world."
The Demon can raise all kinds of hell as it 170 reaches 60 mph in 1.66 seconds and delivers the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs.
Horsepower and speed depends on how much ethanol is in the fuel, the automaker said.
"Love at first sight," one tweet read.
"Damn...This is sleek," another said.
On the drag strip, the Challenger SRT Demon 170 earned a National Hot Rod Association violation letter for running a sub-nine-second quarter-mile without a safety cage or parachute, following the original Demon, which was also banned from NHRA quarter miles.
The seventh and final Dodge “Last Call” special-edition vehicle, Stellantis said the Demon "is history’s first-ever eight-second factory muscle car."
Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told the Associated Press that he'll miss gas-burners, but he's also looking forward to rocking on to Electric Avenue.
'End of an Era'
“It’s the end of an era, for sure,” Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told the Associated Press. “Electric products, they’re very fast. Muscle cars, one of the primary ingredients is to be a fast accelerating car. So I’ve automatically got the power. Now I’ve just got to figure out ways to bring all the other elements in of the excitement of the driving experience.”
Dodge introduced the original 1970 Challenger and was described as "a rather late response" to the Ford (F) Mustang. This first generation only lasted until 1974.
The second existed from 1978 to 1983 and then the Challenger was reinvented with retro styling and a contemporary Hemi V-8 in 2008.
Production of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will begin this summer and will be limited to at most 3,300 units, with 3,000 for the U.S. and 300 for Canada.
The Demon will be available at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $96,666 and comes standard with only a driver’s seat and a basic radio.
So, yes, the party's over, and the candles flicker and dim, but it's going to end with quite a bang.
