1,000hp Hellephant Crate Engine Sold out in 48 Hours

By Dave Ashton

Mopar recently released their whopping 426ci. 1,000-horsepower Hellephant crate engine into the world, which has now sold out in just 48 hours. It’s not been released how many were available for sale, but the $29,995 price tag clearly didn’t put anybody off by the looks of things.

The handbuilt engine was first debuted at the 2018 SEMA show, with many people showing initial interest with pre-orders. There was talk of only a hundred examples being initially built, however demand showed there’s plenty of people out there wanting more power from a V8, with a nod to the past, coupled with an exclusive, limited edition label.

The lucky few who managed to nab one of the Hellephants, inspired by the 1964 426 Hemi elephant engine, will receive a 7L supercharged Hemi V8 engine which also includes coil packs, flywheel, front sump oil pan, fuel injectors, supercharger and water pump. For an extra $2,265 an assembly kit for pre-1976 cars is available which includes an ECU and chassis along with a wiring harness for plug and play installation.

There are other Mopar bits available for the engine, such as a front end accessory drive (FEAD) Kit, A/C expansion kit, custom exhaust manifold, 45-degree oil filter and rear-sump oil pan, along with other Mopar goodies from their current inventory. If you need a transmission there’s also a Tremec transmission and assembly kit.

These mighty power plants should mostly end up in donor vehicles or we hope so, which means that in the coming few years it will be interesting to see the cars they get dropped in and how they perform on the strip. Although these engines are limited-edition investments, they were built to be raced and that should be their ultimate home. Me wonders if a few of the top tuning outfits got their paws on one of these engines and crank the things up to even more insane horsepower levels….Hennessey did you nab one??

So, what does the release of this engine mean for Mopar and muscle cars in general? In a world which is edging ever forward to electric vehicles and hybrids, the Hellephant engine shows we are all still fascinated with unbridled, raw horsepower levels. It’s a bit like the analogy of digital and analogue watches. A digital watch maybe cheaper and more efficient in some cases, but there is still the ultimate respect of the well serviced, handbuilt, analogue timepiece. Just like watches, engines will become more ‘digital’ and cheaper, but for those who get the analogue nature of huge displacement engines will always love the basic formula. But in the engine’s case, it’s about the raw power, sound and vibrations. That’s covering most of the human senses and that’s best done with a tried and tested powerplant.

Find more about the Hellephant and other Mopar engines here.

 

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