Dodge Demon Concept (2007) CAR review

Dodge Demon Roadster. Great name, but this is just a concept car right?

For now, yes. But like pretty much all of Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler's concepts, this one is driveable and we have driven it. The Chrysler Group also has a funny habit of putting their concept cars into production, in which case the Demon promises much. It is unashamedly European-influenced and would undoubtedly go down a storm in the soft-top-obsessed UK… if the price was right.

So what's the Demon's USP then?

Well, Dodge calls it a 'roadster with attitude'. That's stretching it a bit, especially as the engine is a comparatively weedy 2.4-litre petrol with 172bhp, but aesthetically it is solid, chunky and purposeful. Attractive? Well, to my eye the rear arches are too flabby and the headlights too Ford S-Max, but the proportions are good and the overall style more masculine than an MX-5's. Dodge Demon principal exterior designer Jae Chung admits to using the MX-5 as the immediate benchmark, but drew heavily on influences from the larger Viper and Jaguar sports cars of the 50s. The diagonal crease from the top of the front arch to the middle of the rear wheelarch is Chung's little homage to the XK120.