Vermilion Daredevil

2024 Vermilion Daredevil SPV 465 Crazy Goat Berserk Edition

Derek Radcliffe (1995)

Noah Collins (2008)

Ginger Steele (2021)

Vermilion Promethium

6.2L OHV V8 (376 cu in) (2010-present)

6.6L OHV V8 (405 cu in) (1965-1974, 1998-2005, 2010-2023)

6.6L DOHC V8 (405 cu in) (2024-present)

7.0L OHV V8 (427 cu in) (1965-1972)

7.3L OHV V8 (444 cu in) (2010-2023)

7.6L OHV V8 (1965-1971, 1998-2005, 2010-2023)

7.6L DOHC V8 (2024-present)

5-speed automatic (1998-2005)

6-speed manual (1998-2005, 2010-present)

8-speed automatic (2010-present)

2.90m (114.2 in) (1998-2005, 2010-present)

4.95m (194.9 in) (1998-2005, 2010-2023)

4.98m (196 in) (2024-present)

1.95m (76.8 in) (1998-2005, 2010-present)

1799-1813 kg (1998-2005)

1922-2023 kg (2010-2023)

1678-1771 kg (2024-present)

155 mph (250 km/h) (1972 Speed Demon 427)

135 mph (217 km/h) (1973-1974 Centurion 405)

195 mph (314 km/h) (1998-2005 SPV 465 Crazy Goat)

200 mph (322 km/h) (2010-2023 SPV 465 Crazy Goat)

205 mph (330 km/h) (2024-present SPV 465 Crazy Goat)

217 mph (349 km/h) (2024-present SPV 465 Crazy Goat Berserk)

The Vermilion Daredevil is a muscle car produced by Vermilion Motors, from 1965 to 1974, from 1998 to 2005, and 2010 to present. Production started in the Aurora Assembly Plant in Vermilion Creek, Michigan, United States. It's known to fit a variety of V8 engines under the hood, varying from 5.6L to 7.6L. It's considered one of the last surviving production cars with high displacement engines, along to other cars from the brand, like its 4-door sibling Duke and the company flagship performance coupe Promethium, although it was necessary to change from the purist pushrod Overhead Valve (OHV) to modern Dual Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) to meet modern emission standards.

## Development history

In 1964, Vermilion Motors CEO Mark Harrison wanted to fit the brand's lineup with a fastback muscle car. The brand was about to end the production of Barrow and Vanilla, and was about to replace them with a notchback coupe and a sedan. The sedan was the Duke, and although the Baron was about to only get a notchback version, it also got a sedan version, filling the niche of full-size luxury sedan, and Duke became the mid-size sedan. That is where the Daredevil comes, as it was the third car of the list, and it was the brand's first fastback coupe.

Vermilion had been developing a new, larger V8 engine to fit its new cars. The largest engines available for Barrow and Vanilla were the 354 cu in (5.8L) and the 405 cu in (6.6L) , both V8 engines. The 354 V8 was also used in the Silver Anaconda for racing in many categories, such as 24 Hours of Le Mans. Vermilion decided to keep the 354 available for the car's first and second generations, along with a new V8 engine platform, which contained engines like the Centurion 405, Speed Demon 427, and the legendary Crazy Goat 465.

## First generation (SD)

The first generation Daredevil was introduced in 1965 for the 1966 model year, alongside Baron and Duke. The car was design by Scott Roberts in 1964. The body was significantly lighter, shorter and narrower than its siblings and its successive generations. The rear contains four squared lights in each side, design carried by some of the later generations, which two were for tail lights and brake lights, one for indicator and one for reverse light. This fastback muscle car contains a shaker hood in some of the high performance or high output versions.

The Daredevil came with various engines. The default option was a 354 cu in (5.8L) V8 engine producing 290 hp and 345 lb-ft of torque. Another option was a Centurion 405 cu in (6.6L) producing 350 hp and 385 lb-ft of torque, which could be upgraded to its high output version with 405 hp and 416 lb-ft of torque with an addition of a shaker hood. There was also the Speed Demon 427, which was a 427 cu in (7.0L) that had default output of 405 hp and 427 lb-ft of torque. And the top engine was the Crazy Goat 465, which was a 465 cu in (7.6L) able to output extraordinary 445 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque, being one of the most powerful engines ever produced in the 1960s.

Top speed for the muscle car was said to be at least 125 mph (201 km/h) for the 354 V8 variant, while it could go as fast as 165 mph (266 km/h) for the Crazy Goat 465 option, which had the larger displacement and highest performance among the V8 engines. Although not as collectible as the 1971 muscle car, the 1966-1970 generation is starting to become a collectible. In 2023, an early exemplar with the 465 V8 fitted under the hood, from 1966 model year, fetched $150,000 in an auction.

## Second generation (ST)

The second generation Daredevil was released in 1970 for the 1971 model year. Designed by Stephen King in 1969, it featured a much larger, heavier and muscular design, with much longer wheelbase, length and width, without mentioning its weight. Although much larger than its predecessor generation, its top speed is significantly higher, although with the cost of acceleration and quarter mile time. The rear design features four horizontal lights in each side, being the outer one an indicator, the two middle ones brake and tail lights, and the inner one the reverse light. It also features a fuel cap in the middle of the rear fascia. Shaker hood was also available for the higher performance versions.

The 1971 Daredevil had the same engine options than the previous generation, with the same performance levels. Although from 1972 to 1974 model years, the engine options were different. The 1971 Daredevil fitted with the 465 V8 could have top speed of 174 mph (284 km/h) with some transmission changes, although its heavier weight. The 1971 model year was the only year that included the 465 cu in (7.6L) V8 option in the entire generation.

The 1971 Crazy Goat 465 also got a limited, high output version production of 10 cars producing 500 bhp and 510 lb-ft of torque, with top speed of 189 mph (304 km/h), the 1971 Vermilion Daredevil Crazy Goat 465 Berserk Edition. One of the 10 units, which only 4 survive today, and with immaculate condition, painted in High Torque Red, sold at an auction in October 2022 for $1,150,000, which is a record for any classic car from the brand.

For 1972 model year, the engine options were the 354, 405 and 427 V8 engines. The 354 cu in (5.8L) option produced 220 bhp and 300 lb-ft of torque. There was also the Centurion 405 with a 405 cu in (6.6L) engine available, making 260 bhp and 340 lb-ft of torque, although it could be improved to produce 306 bhp and 376 lb-ft of torque. This was the last year for the Speed Demon 427, which had a 427 cu in (7.0L) V8 producing 340 bhp and 400 lb-ft of torque. Top speed for Speed Demon 427 option is 155 mph (250 km/h). Both the upgraded 405 and the 427 were the only engines with shaker hood as options.

During the 1973 and 1974 model years, the only engines available were the 354 cu in (5.8L) and 405 cu in (6.6L) V8 engines. The 354 was rated at 200 bhp and 280 lb-ft of torque. The 405 V8 was rated at 245 bhp and 330 lb-ft of torque. The shaker hood was no longer an option for both years. In 1974, there was also the addition of a 5 mph (8 km/h) bumper, which prevented the damage to the car's lights, safety equipment and engine.

After 1974 model year, with constant pressures to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, which also meant that the car would have its performance reduced, the Daredevil was discontinued, and would only return in early 1998.

## Third generation (GX)

In 1995, the Daredevil Concept left many positive impressions design-wise, while the car trend among American manufacturers was the roundy, oval cars. This concept designed by Derek Radcliffe was the chosen between three selections by the CEO Alexander "Alistair" Finn, the grandson of one of the company's founders. According to Finn, one concept had resemblances to 80s Japanese design and was rejected. The second one was what he found the most appealing, with a thicker rear pillar, but it wasn't made in a long wheelbase. He decided to go with the huge American classic muscle design, although it didn't have a thicker rear pillar. The car also has the traditional four squared rear lamps from the first generation. And this is also the first generation to display custom badges other than the default brand's ghost badge, including one for the Centurion and one for the Crazy Goat.

In January 26, 1998, the production was started, starting as a 1998 model year. The car found itself very successful, selling over 840,000 during its nearly 8 years of lifespan, and the last car from the generation would roll out of the factory by December 31, 2005. This was the first modern muscle car to feature classic muscle car style and looks.

There were three engine options, varying from 5.8L to 7.6L V8 engines. The base trim, 354 Lite had a 354 cu in (5.8L) producing 330 bhp and 360 lb-ft of torque, with top speed of 158 mph (255 km/h). The SPV 405 Centurion had a 405 cu in (6.6L) V8 engine generating 427 bhp and 444 lb-ft of torque, which could enable the car to reach its top speed of 189 mph (304 km/h). But the dark horse in the lineup was the SPV 465 Crazy Goat, which featured a 465 cu in (7.6L) V8 making 519 bhp and 548 lb-ft of torque and reach top speed of 195 mph (314 km/h).

With tighter emission standards and under different CEO, the car production was ceased, and Vermilion Motors got plenty of angry phone calls asking for the car production to be continued. The car was kept in hold until 2008, when another concept was released, and its subsequent next generation in 2010.

## Fourth generation (GN)

In September 2008, the fourth generation for Daredevil, designed by Noah Collins, was released and although it didn't have as much effort as the 1995 concept, it got plenty of positive reactions, mostly because the public wanted another car released, after many angry phone calls to the CEO Brent DaSilva, which mandated to discontinue the previous generation in 2005. The car has contemporary headlights, which wasn't much appraised by the car enthusiasts, but according to DaSilva, "it was an attempt of modernizing the car while trying to keep the classic design". In the rear fascia The generation is the first to have optional sunroof. The front had the default ghost badge, with SPV badge in the right side of the front grille on the SPV car models. The side has the Centurion and Crazy Goat badges. The tail lights were quite different, there were 8 lights on each side, which 4 were in the body and the other 4 were in the trunk, and the top 6 were brake and tail lights, and the bottom two were indicators. The reverse lights were on the top of the exhausts.

In February 19, 2010, the fourth generation of the Daredevil was released. Although not as successful as the previous generation, the fourth generation lasted 13 years until December 31, 2022, when the last 2023 model year rolled out of the factory, and sold more units than the previous generation. The generation had two facelifts and sold over 1.2 million units in its nearly 14 years of production run.

There were multiple trims: 340 Junior, 376 Centurion Lite, SPV 405 Centurion, SPV 444 T-Rex, SPV 465 Crazy Goat. The 340 Junior was the base trim, and it had a 340 cu in (5.6L) V8 engine cranking 376 bhp and 394 lb-ft of torque and top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h). The second trim is the 376 Centurion Lite, which has a 376 cu in (6.2L) engine which produces 469 bhp and 469 lb-ft of torque, although these power figures are higher than the fifth generation version, which got 440 bhp and 444 lb-ft of torque, and has top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h). The third trim is the SPV 405 Centurion, which has a 405 cu in (6.6L) V8 making 510 bhp and 510 lb-ft of torque and top speed of 193 mph (311 km/h). The fourth trim was the SPV 444 T-Rex, with a 444 cu in (7.3L) V8 making 570 bhp and 580 lb-ft of torque, and top speed of 198 mph (319 km/h). The top trim is the SPV 465 Crazy Goat, which has a 465 cu in (7.6L) V8 engine cranking 604 bhp and 576 lb-ft of torque and top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h).

There is also the drag racing version of the 465 in another variant, called "SPV 465 Crazy Goat Drag Sport", which isn't road legal and is powered by a carbureted 465 cubic inches V8 engine making 650 bhp and 695 lb-ft of torque, which the customer can modify to attend the desired power figures, such as adding supercharger, turbos, or other modifications such as fuel injection. This version was for sale for $120,000 and was limited to 66 units per year.

Although the car had a high amount of sales and the consumers wanted to buy them because of the V8 engines, in 2019, Vermilion CEO Brent DaSilva told in the social networks that the brand would start converting all its vehicle fleet to electric from 2023 until 2028, and that would also affect the Daredevil. The public was not satisfied with the statement, and asked for his resignation.

## Fifth generation (GS)

Alistair Finn, which is the President of Vermilion Motors since 2002, secretly hired young designers in December 2020 to design their creativity our of their minds. The young designers were all video game enthusiasts and were asked to make a car design similar but better than those in video games, and that would remind the brand in some aspects. That included Gabriel Fleming, who was 22 years old back then and is the designer of the second generation Promethium. And Ginger Steele was another young designer hired by Finn, she was 20 years old and has designed of the fifth generation Vermilion Daredevil and the second generation Vermilion Duke, and became the Head of Design chosen after Gabriel Fleming became CEO. After hiring a dozen of designers, Finn took the car designs from November 2020 to February 2021 and took them to DaSilva. Vermilion CEO liked the designs and told that he would actually hire some of them, including Gabriel Fleming and Ginger Steele, and had chosen Fleming to become the Head of Design after the company showcased the 2021 Promethium concept. He has also approved Steele's designs, which eventually became two production cars released in 2023 for 2024 model years, and one of them is the Daredevil. Fleming would later in early 2022 become CEO and nominate Ginger Steele as Head of Design and the first woman to get the position in the company's history.

In late 2021, the fifth generation Daredevil muscle car, codenamed "GS" which stands for designer Ginger Steele's initial name letters, was released and the impressions were mixed, but mostly great. Although some complained that the hexagon headlights were weird-looking, others said it made a bit of contemporary touch to the muscle car. The car has the same design for the rear lights from the first and third generation, while using an object similar to a fuel cap from the second generation with the badge in the middle and third brake lights surrounding it in the rear. The muscle car features DOHC 4-valve layout for larger displacement engines instead of the original OHV pushrod valve design, due to the emissions taxes applied to previous car models.

The car started production at July 4, 2023, for the 2024 model year, and immediately had over 20,000 pre-orders after the configurations for purchase were released in the website, in January 2023, with 70,000 pre-orders at total before production started.

The start of the production has five initial trims: 340 Junior, 376 Centurion Lite, SPV 405 Centurion, and SPV 465 Crazy Goat along with its high output Berserk Edition variant. The 340 Junior is still the basic version of the car, mostly targeted for high school students, has a 340 cu in (5.6L) OHV V8 making 385 bhp and 400 lb-ft of torque and 177 mph (285 km/h) top speed. The second trim is the 376 Centurion Lite, which is a 376 cu in (6.2L) V8 engine, also OHV, but with reduced output to 440 bhp and 444 lb-ft of torque, compared to the fourth generation's 469 bhp and 469 lb-ft of torque, it has a top speed of 189 mph (304 km/h). The SPV 405 Centurion makes 590 bhp and 565 lb-ft of torque with a 405 cu in (6.6L) DOHC V8 engine, and has a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h). The SPV 465 Crazy Goat has a 465 cu in (7.6L) DOHC V8 that makes 684 bhp and 660 lb-ft of torque and has top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h). There is the SPV 465 Crazy Goat Berserk Edition, which is an upgrade of the regular version and pays hommage to the Berserk Edition limited run from 1971, with carbon fiber wheels and has a high output 7.6L V8 making 854 bhp and 740 lb-ft of torque, with top speed of 217 mph (349 km/h).

## Media

### The Daredevil (2022)

The movie "The Daredevil" from 2022 was set in 2006 and was about a drug addict man who wants to change his life and murdered someone for self-defense, but he's a fugitive from the police. He had bought his friend's 1974 Vermilion Daredevil Centurion 405 and tried to avoid being caught from the police.

### Video games

The Daredevil muscle car, and its multiple forms, had multiple appearances in multiple video games, such as Beam Horizon, Speed Turismo, Horsepower, and The Garage game franchises.