y Design: 2007 Dodge Demon Concept

By Robert Cumberford | Automobile magazine

1. The cross-bar grille, picked up from the exotic Pegaso cars of the 1950's, has worked well for Dodge for decades and looks great here. 2. Roadsters always look better when the windshield frame is visually separated from the body, even when it doesn't lift off for racing. 3. The headlamp assembly is neat and complete, and we're spared nasty round lamps in the bumper. 4. One of many tidy trapezoids scattered all over the Demon, the brake scoop looks tough and might even conduct some air. 5. This classic fender profile from the days of the Jaguar XK120 and the Triumph TR2 is perfectly executed here, ending in another trapezoidal scoop that neatly finishes the side treatment. 6. Even the center-high mounted stoplight picks up the trapezoid theme, neatly inset on the rear deck to balance the depression on the hood at the front of the car. 7. These nineteen-inch wheels would ruin the ride. If Dodge kept the outside tire diameter and ran the car on seventeens, it would be both comfortable and stuck down. 8. This diagonal line sets up the entire rear, neatly terminated by trapezoidal exhaust outlets that close the composition. 9. Apart from the badge, these are the only metallic-look elements on the back. The whole car is quite artfully done - a nice change from recent Chrysler work. 10. The taillights give a slightly droopy look to the rear, but from standing height they look a lot better, with clever sculpting giving character without high cost. 11. Freestanding roll bars seem a little short for true rollover protection, but at least the idea is there. 12. This looks simple, inexpensive, and made of existing elements. And we like it for just those reasons. Simplicity is a true virtue. 13. The seats blessedly have a tough fabric covering instead of the dreaded leather. Cloth is much, much better in roadsters. Really. 14. The whole of the cockpit is subdued, straightforward, honest, and worthy of a serious car. One naturally thinks of sports cars in springtime. After a long winter closed up in houses, offices, and practical cars, there's magic in the idea of an easy, aimless top-down promenade in a roadster. The car needn't be excessively fast, since wafting and wandering is more the order of the day than blasting quickly through cold, late-winter air. The Geneva show did us proud this year, with a pair of distinctive two-seat concept exercises: the Fiat-based roadster created by Carrozzeria Bertone for its ninety-fifth anniversary and this Dodge Demon, which looks like a preproduction teaser, not a vague concept. Chrysler claims it's just an idea, but it certainly could be built, and it would come into a sweet spot in the market, priced somewhere close to the original Mazda Miata, a favorite that has become too expensive for what it's meant to be. After a distressing series of disastrously styled cars recently, Chrysler stylists have redeemed themselves with this one. It is at once cute and tough looking, easily recognizable as a Dodge, and quite clearly American, with its big grille and its overdone surfaces. Moreover, even if all stylistic originality were to be expunged, they got the overall size and proportions right. The stock Pontiac Solstice may have a four-cylinder engine, but it can--and in some aftermarket versions, does--accommodate a small-block V-8. That's a highly unlikely outcome for this tidy little machine, which is all the better for it. The Demon uses Chrysler's 2.4-liter four, a slightly stronger engine than the Mazda's, but it weighs only five percent more than the Japanese car--and almost 400 pounds less than the Solstice. It ought to be a good performer, even if that has never been vitally important for entry-level sports cars. The T-series MGs, Morgan Four Fours, and Singer SM1500 roadsters of the 1950s were great fun to drive, but they just barely got out of their own way, and no one really minded very much. Ultimate missiles such as the Dodge Viper and the Chevy Corvette Z06 are great to have around, but it's always good to see more accessible sports cars that are intended for broader and more regular use, where the fun factor outweighs the fear factor. For seventeen years, we at Automobile Magazine have enjoyed the unpretentious Miata and the driving pleasure it has given us through three generations. It's wonderful to think that a similarly lightweight, simple sports car could become available from, if not an American company, at least a Detroit-based one. After a host of product letdowns, Chrysler deserves a reprieve, and this funky little car is perfectly placed to give the company a psychological--and financial--boost that would work wonders. As Dodge tries to establish a place in Europe, what could be better than an inexpensive, strong, stylish, and truly desirable roadster?