Dodge Demon's extreme weight-saving revealed

US car-maker Dodge has gone to extreme lengths to save weight when creating its street-legal drag racer, it has been revealed.

According to Autoblog, engineers cut almost 100kg from the Demon’s kerb weight but some big sacrifices were made along the way.

To reduce mass, engineers were forced to remove the wide-body Challenger's front and rear passenger seats, seat belts and even floor mats.

All can be reintroduced to the cabin as part of a no-cost option at the buyer's request, the US car blog says.

Further weight-saving employed to reach the 100kg reduction target include ultra-lightweight wheels and manual reach and rake adjustment for the steering wheel.

It's also thought that, to offset the weight of the wider body, the front bonnet, wings, roof and boot lid will also be made of carbon-fibre.

Already revealed online following a leaked picture from the Fast and Furious 8 film set, Dodge has already confirmed the Demon will come with a set of wide 315/40 Nitto NT05 tyres.

The tyres, specially developed for the Demon, are also used in professional drag racing.

From an earlier video tease it's now almost certain the flagship muscle car will come powered by the same Challenger SRT Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8.

In the Hellcat, the blown V8 produces an unbelievable 527kW/800Nm but in the Demon the power figure could top 550kW.

With that level of power the lighter Demon should be able to hit 100km/h in less than three seconds – 0.6 seconds quicker than the Hellcat.

With the standard, stickier drag tyres that sacrifice wet weather, comfort and refinement for pure traction, the new Demon could complete the 0-100km/h sprint in a staggering 2.7 seconds.

Top speed, meanwhile, is expected to be more than 330km/h.

As already reported, lack of right-hand drive Challenger production has ruled out the Demon for export to the Australian market.

It's hoped the next-generation Charger and Challenger, due in 2018, will be engineered for our market.