Kyle Heminger has the word “Hemi” in his name, so why wouldn’t he want one in his garage? Meet the owner of Dodge Challenger SRT® Demon, serial number 1776. The birthdate of America couldn’t find a better home than with Heminger, as he’s a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army. He flies Apache helicopters as a day job, and dreams about fast cars and motorcycles in his spare time.
When asked why he wanted an SRT Demon for his own, Heminger laughed. “It does wheelies and it has more than 800 horsepower. What else do you need to know?”
That’s the short answer, but the longer answer is that Heminger was looking for something to replace the thrill of a Honda CBR sportbike, but with room for his family. He grew up in Napa Valley, driving and riding the curves of California’s famous Highway 1, but says that at 35 years old, he no longer wants to fly around corners on a motorcycle. Instead, he wanted a car that would be fun on track. “I’m more responsible now,” he says. He also wanted something that he could go out in with his wife and kids. “Putting someone on the back of a motorcycle is dangerous. In a car, we can all enjoy the drive.”
Once he sold the bike, he started looking for a car that would equal the thrill of two wheels.
“I was looking at sportscars, but I wanted something that fit my personality. I wanted something not everyone had.” When the SRT Demon teaser videos started appearing, Heminger knew he’d found his car. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to get my hands on one, you know, I’m not a celebrity or anything, but you gotta go after what you want.”
What Heminger wanted was an Indigo Blue SRT Demon with full interior and the Comfort Audio Group package, which adds in an 18-speaker Harman Kardon system, two subwoofers and a 900W amplifier. “I can’t wait to get it, put my kids in the back, put the windows down, put the music up and drive it.”
He got the good news about the new baby from Elk Grove Dodge in California, and had the car shipped to where he is stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. “There are only maybe three Demons in all of Hawaii,” says Heminger. “I think I might be the only army Demon. I wonder if they’ll let me race it against the Apache. I’d give the Apache a headstart.”
Fly safe, Kyle, in both the Apache and the new Dodge SRT Demon.
