Dodge Hellephant: 1000 Horsepower, 950 lb.-ft.
It seems Dodge doesn’t have enough gasoline-powered monsters within its lineup, because it just announced another one at SEMA; the Hellephant.
A Throwback to the Past
The Hellephant gets its name from Dodge’s iconic 426 HEMI engine, first introduced in 1964, which got the “elephant” nickname for being so big and powerful. This new 7.0-litre V8 will only be sold as a crate engine which consumers will be able to retrofit to any classic road-going Dodge, as long as it was commercialized before 1976.
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Dodge promises a “quick” and easy to “bolt-on” unit, which comes with its own PCU, wiring harness, engine mounts, sensors, alternator, straps and even a gas pedal. The crate comes with everything you need for a smooth, drama-free build, says the carmaker.
With total output rated at 1000 horsepower and a gargantuan 950 lb.-ft. of torque, straight out of the box, the Hellephant is the most powerful V8 engine ever produced by Mopar, Dodge’s performance arm that’s also responsible for developing the Challenger Hellcat and Demon’s engine.
In order to be this powerful, the engine is of course supercharged, using a high-efficiency rotor. The engine itself has a 4.125-inch bore and 4-inch stroke and the entire block is made out of aluminium to keep it as lightweight as possible.
The Hellephant was presented at SEMA under the hood of a concept car Dodge calls the Super Charger 1968 in order to showcase its aftermarket potential. With the ‘68 Charger being one of the most iconic muscle cars to have come out of the 1960s, it was only fitting to use it as the poster child for this new crate engine. The concept is also fitted with the T-6060 six-speed manual gearbox also used in the Challenger Hellcat.
If you’d like to take part in such a project yourself, you’ll be happy to know that the 426 Hellephant crate engine will be available for order as of early 2019, either directly through your Dodge dealership, or via the Mopar website.