The Dodge Demon debuted in 1971 as a companion to the compact Plymouth Duster. And, like the fastback Duster, a small-block performance model was offered, the Demon 340. Here we have a Demon 440, not something your Dodge dealer would have sold you new back in the day. This one looks to be in great shape and has enough goodies to be race-ready or a street performer. Located in Morgan Hill, California, this one-of-a-kind Mopar is available here on craigslist for $45,000. Another cool tip brought to us by Rocco B.!
Demand for the new Plymouth Duster in 1970 led Dodge to lobby for their version of the popular car. The vehicles were practically the same except the Demon had its own grille and taillight treatment. The Demon would morph into the Dart Sport in 1973 due to the name maybe not being politically correct (see, that stuff was going on back then, too). We don’t know if this Dodge began life as a Demon 340 or a regular Demon with a Slant Six or 318 cubic inch V8.
This beefed-up Chrysler product has more than 130,000 miles under its belt, but we don’t know how many have accumulated since the car’s transformation. We assume the B-5 blue paint is the car’s original color and the black vinyl top sets it off nicely, though certainly not essential. The interior is tidy and far from the original with a ton of gauges and a roll bar/cage.
The big news is under the hood, a 440 V8 that likely produces more than the 375 hp it would have been rated at if stock. The 4-speed manual transmission has a Pistol Grip shifter to help deliver power to the rear wheels, which sport new wide tires. The battery has been moved to the trunk where a fuel cell resides. Disc brakes can be found up front and the exhaust system includes a set of headers. We’re told there are lots of other goodies that are “too much to list” (no, there’s never too much to list). Is this a Mopar you’d want in your stable and – if so – does the asking price seem fair and reasonable?
Don’t know about reasonable but I bet it cost more to build than the asking price. Nicely done with high quality work and parts. Should be fun on the road or the track.
New rear tires? Naaah! Who would’ve thunk it? Betcha every 2 months is the average replacement time for this one. Great ride in anyones book.
Nice car. Far from track ready, construction of roll bar limits it to 11.50. Depending on installation of fuel cell and battery relocation might keep it off the track altogether. It’s a street car designed for local shows.
Steve R
Some people just want a fast street car for some giggles off the stoplights. They have no intention of ever running it on the strip.
The seller himself brings up taking it to the track in the ad.
Steve R
Great car for the track if the improvements you mentioned were done. Awful street car. The kind of car the police should be checking on if it is ran there to make sure everything is up to code for the street.
Not an original 340 Demon……the dash looks awful drilled out for the tach & guages……what’s the matter with a done right install UNDER the dash???….this would run strong if built right, but who knows….the big block over the front wheels kills the handling, etc……no way I would pay 45 large for this one…….
Right, not a 340 Demon. I was going to point out that it doesn’t have the Rallye cluster, which a 340 Demon would have had. Since this has the 440, it’s just as well it was a non-HP car.
The seller will kick himself once it’s gone. This one will be hard to replace.
I’m a small block guy, although the car looks well done. 71 demons were very cool 😎 I haven’t seen the actual ad so I’m not sure of too much here. To me, I’d say it’s most likely a fun car yet I would prefer a stock 340 demon.
Doing a big block swap in a “A” body Mopar correctly involves some fab work,mainly in the chassis so it doesn’t “pretzel up” over time.A very clean car with a nice engine bay.The typical sacrifices made,no power brakes or power steering.I’m sure it’s a real blast to drive.The price may not really be out of line here,looks like a real solid build.
Thankfully it doesn’t appear that a real 340 car was used in this build. The work looks very good. if there is no power brakes or power steering, I better get to the gym and work out a bit. I prefer the 340.Too much $$ for this one.