Chevrolet made no shortage of performance announcements at the 2018 SEMA show. From the introduction of a 755 horsepower LT5 crate engine, to a 550,000 Watt eCOPO Camaro that sounds like the world’s biggest power drill at a drag strip – there’s an entire spectrum of power to geek over.
However, there was something even bigger and more powerful announced at the SEMA show, from Mopar. Teased last week as “something big” – the Hellephant crate engine is an aluminum 426 cubic-inch crate engine with a HUGE 3.0L twin-screw supercharger that will be available for delivery starting the first quarter of 2019. Like the name implies, the output of the Hellephant is a gargantuan 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. It’s the first 1,000 horsepower crate engine offered by an OEM, and makes the lion-hearted 755 horsepower LT5 crate engine seem like a house cat. So while Chevrolet dominates crate motor sales, Mopar is currently dominating that dyno charts.
The Mopar Hellephant’s alloy block was kindly donated by the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak car that’s dominated the 2018 NHRA Factory Stock Showdown class, its aluminum construction helping to keep weight down, and the valve train was sourced from the 840-horsepower Hemi V8 in the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. A special high-lift cam and custom-forged pistons also rank among the Mopar Hellephant’s more notable components. Pricing for the Hellephant crate engine hasn’t been announced.
Moreover, the Hellephant crate engine may be a hiding a production engine right in front of us. Its 7.0L displacement is rumored to be a new V8 engine heading into the bay of a forthcoming Ram Rebel TRX, which aims to outmatch the 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor. Chevrolet has so far been quiet on a potential Silverado ZR2, but did tease us with an aggressive-looking 2019 Silverado 1500 Trail Boss Concept at the SEMA show this week.
Comments
its about to get real out here! GM and Mopar are back at it like 1970 all over. the Mighty 426 Hemi. I’m pretty sure GM has an SS-454 lurking (at least I hope so)
I hope so too. I gotta say though, this is a killer name for a motor. Chevy big blocks were always referred to as Rats. Dodge (hemi’s in particular) were Elephants. I dig the old school marketing here..
Too bad their stock prices are $16 a share.
This stuff makes news but does not sell cars.
Okay GM it’s time to bring em all back. Nova, Chevelle, GTO anyone?? Come on, it’s been long enough, please!!!!!! And make them bodies look like the 70s not the 2000s
FCA always seems to be able to do more with less, and to make a bigger and better splash at shows and events as this one did. You have to give them credit for that.