It has been some time since the dodge and Mopar were launching teasers that showed that something very special was coming. Now at SEMA we found out what it was: the 426 Hemi engine, is back as a crate engine (a complete engine that is sold in a box and is ready to be assembled) and was renamed Hellephant.
To create the Hellephant, Dodge started from the base of the Hellcat and increased the size and stroke of the V8's cylinders, raising the displacement from 6.2 l to 7.0 l. The Hellephant delivers 1014 hp of power and around 1288 Nm of torque.
Hellephant has an aluminum block and a larger compressor. Despite the great enthusiasm it is generating, Hellephant will only be able to be used (legally) in vehicles prior to 1976, all because of the anti-pollution regulations.
A big engine has to be shown in a big car
To present the new 426 Hemi, Dodge has aligned itself with restomodding fashion. For that he took a 1968 Dodge Charger and created the Super Charger Concept, a Charger that was subjected to a plastic surgery, receiving fiberglass fenders, the headlights of a current Challenger, a rear spoiler and the mirrors of a Dodge Duster 1971.
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In addition to a new engine and aesthetic changes, the Super Charger Concept also received the Challenger Hellcat six-speed manual gearbox, Brembo brakes, 20″ front and 21″ rear wheels and a renovated interior with Challenger SRT parts Hellcat and the Viper.
Dodge's new crate engine is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of 2019. The price has not yet been announced but it is expected that the kit will be considerably more expensive than the Hellcrate (which brings the Hellcat engine with around 717 hp). ) which costs around 17 thousand euros.