No, this isn’t the new, overly-hyped Dodge Demon – a lot of people will say it’s better. Tony Angelo saved his money changing tires as a teenager and bought this 1971 Dodge Demon. This is actually Tony’s first car that he bought when he was 15, and it’s easy to see why he still has it.
Tony drops in on the guys at [Hoonigan] to hang out and talk about his car. He spent two summers working and saving every penny to buy this beauty, but he still got a steal of a deal on it. It’s an original 1971 Dodge Demon 340, 4-speed car, and it’s all numbers matching. Want to take a guess as to how much Tony paid for it? You won’t even come close! Back in 1994, Tony paid only $3,500 for it.
Powering the Dodge Demon is a recently rebuilt, high-compression 340ci V8, which is a 5.6L engine. It was originally rated at 275 horsepower, but has around 100 more horsepower as it sits now. The engine, which is still a numbers matching build after the rebuild, had seized on fire-up after sitting for 15 years with the previous owner. It had some oil starvation issues, so Tony went through it and gave it all new bearings, a crank, pistons, rods, and a mild cam.
This Demon rides on a fully adjustable suspension and has the stopping power from 4-wheel disc brakes. The suspension and brakes make the car a little more forgiving than the average Demon with ‘70s suspension geometry.
It’s hard to tell from a few feet back, but the Demon has a few bumps and bruises throughout, a symbol of a car that is driven. For the same reason Tony chose a smaller cam, he’s not overly concerned with keeping it in showroom condition, because it’s not a show car.
With very little room in the parking lot, this former drift driver agrees to do a few donuts in the Demon, and it’s pretty glorious if you ask us.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
