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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ (FCA) spare parts division Mopar has unveiled its latest crate engine available to tuners – the 746kW Hellephant – at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, debuting it in a one-off restomodded Dodge Charger.
The Hellephant package follows on from the Hellcrate package debuted at SEMA last year that made the standard Hellcat engine available to purchase on its own.
The engine
Making the bonkers Dodge Challenger Demon’s 626kW 6.2-litre engine seem rather paltry by comparison, the Hellephant HEMI V8 displaces 7.0-litres and sports a massive twin-screw supercharger displacing 3.0-litres that forces 15psi boost through the engine to deliver a whopping 746kW – that’s 1000hp in old money – and 1288Nm that drag racers would probably describe as adequate, as they are the main crowd FCA is aiming this crate engine towards.
The Hellephant name pays homage to the renowned ‘Elephant’ 426 cubic inch (7.0-litre) HEMI V8 that has been a dominant force in drag racing since it debuted in the 1960s.
In addition to the supercharger that’s 700cc larger than that of the Demon, and the additional engine displacement, the Hellephant also sports a unique high-lift camshaft and forged pistons; valves, locks, and retainers from the Demon; and valve covers from the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.
The engine comes equipped with a powertrain module, wiring harness, accelerator pedal, chassis harness, fuel pump controller, oxygen and air temperature sensors, and cam bus interface to make it a plug-and-play package. A Front End Accessory Drive kit that adds an alternator, power steering pump, and belts and pulleys is also available as an optional extra.
Priced from US$19,000, the Hellephant crate engine is set to go on sale in the US in early 2019.
The car
To showcase the new engine, FCA’s Product Design Office has pieced together a 1968 Charger restomod build dubbed the Super Charger that they shoehorned the new unit into for the SEMA Show.
Doing away with much of the original car, the Super Charger has a wider track, 51mm longer wheelbase, and suspension that has been lowered by 64mm at the front and 89mm in the rear respectively to give it a lower stance and to reduce frontal overhang.
It also sports the T-6060 six-speed manual gearbox from the Challenger Hellcat to channel the big engine’s 746kW to the rear wheels.
Additionally, a set of six-pot Brembo brakes have been added to help bring it to a halt, while the exhaust pipes have been nabbed from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and are high-mounted where the taillights once resided.
Visually, flared wheel arch extensions and a new front splitter both made of fibreglass, flush-fitting front and rear bumpers, staggered rims measuring 20-inches at the front and 21-inches at the rear, and a massive bonnet scoop give it a unique look that brings it well out of the sixties.
Further raiding the Mopar parts catalogue, the interior sports a set of Mopar-branded gauges and the steering wheel and bucket seats from the Dodge Viper, while a custom roll cage has also been fitted along with some Hellephant badging.
The Super Charger will be on show in Las Vegas at SEMA until November 2, 2018.
