Dodge was there at the dawn of the muscle car, and now, over 70 years on, it still continues to be one of the few remaining brands keeping muscle car culture alive. Even though the next generation of Dodge muscle cars leans on electrified tech and six-cylinder engines, through crate engines, the Mopar V8 lives on. This article explores one of the most ferocious crate engines ever launched by any manufacturer, the daunting Dodge Hellephant, which packs an almighty 1,000 horsepower. Here's everything you need to know.
To those that don't fully align with muscle car culture, it might be difficult to justify just why Dodge felt the need to develop a 1,000-horsepower V8 crate engine. Instead of asking why, it is perhaps more prudent to ask why not? The Hellephant V8 celebrates a long history of high-performance engines from underneath the Mopar umbrella. The name is a combination of Hellcat and Elephant – the former being Dodge's more recent high-performance V8, and the latter being one of the most iconic Dodge engines from the original era of muscle cars.
The Hellephant engine combines the best of both engines, boasting the size and heft of the original Elephant engine, but now with the design and tech of the equally influential Hellcat engine from Dodge's modern muscle car efforts.
The engine was revealed to fans in 2018, under the hood of the 1968 Dodge "Super Charger" Concept. This made sense, as the Hellephant V8 is available as a crate engine only, so cramming it under the hood of a classic model quickly demonstrated the intended purpose of the engine. If Dodge had instead fitted it to a modern model, people might have started to speculate about a road-legal production release.
When the Hellephant engine was released, just 100 examples of the engine were to be built and sold, and these were soon snapped up by enthusiasts. Since then, the mighty crate engine has appeared under the hood of many other classic models, such as the old-school Jeep Wagoneer, and a custom Dodge Power Truck, nicknamed project SWEAT.
For those who desire this unjustifiably powerful crate engine, Dodge originally retailed the engine at $29,995. It's worth mentioning that this is not the only cost, as in addition to fitting costs, J.D. Power estimates a further $3,348 would need to be spent on harnesses, the ECM, gas pedals, the accessory drive kit, and A/C kit, if required. The Dodge Hellephant is not cheap, but if a Hellcat just doesn't satisfy, it's the 'logical' next step.
America's Most Wanted 4x4 also has other supercharged V8s in its product range.
Dodge Muscle Car Engine Comparison | |||
---|---|---|---|
Model | Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 | Hellephant crate engine | 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak |
Engine | 6.2-liter supercharged V8 | 7.0-liter supercharged V8 | 5.8-liter supercharged V8 |
Horsepower | 1,025 horsepower | 1,000 horsepower | 630 horsepower |
Torque | 945 lb-ft | 950 lb-ft | N/A |
What immediately strikes us is that the Hellephant crate engine is not actually the most powerful V8 on offer. However, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 V8 engine does share some similarities. The 1,025-horsepower engine is essentially a modified Hellcat engine, which shares many similarities with the Hellephant, although it's not officially of the Hellephant family. It is the most powerful though, boasting a 25-horsepower advantage, despite packing a smaller capacity.
Who's the king of the crate engine now?
Another modern muscle car engine of note from Dodge is the supercharged 354ci Hemi V8 from the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak. This ultra-exclusive Challenger was only available as a track-only model, and just 50 units were made, with a starting price of $135,995 – although that didn't include seats, wheels or tires, which were all extra cost options. Packing 630 horsepower, the output pales in significance next to the Hellcat and Hellephant, but it's still one of the most performance-orientated muscle cars from Dodge's recent production history.
The Hellephant makes a triumphant return, and is joined by the new HurriCrate engines.
When the Hellephant engine was originally launched back in 2018, just 100 units were destined to be produced. This was a result of them all being handmade, and perhaps Dodge was wary of how many folk actually required a $29,995 engine with 1,000 horsepower. Truth be told, they could and should have produced many more, as the original engine sold out in just two days. This had many enthusiasts left longing, with no guarantees of the engine ever being made available again.
However, the introduction of the Direct Connection Hellephant Crate Engine Series saw the return of the awesome Hellephant engine, albeit now with a slightly different name. It is still called the Hellephant, although now tagged with 'A30' as a designating code. A stands for aluminum, while 30 stands for the proof of which the engine runs on. Fortunately for muscle car fans, this is the only change made to the Hellephant crate engine. A total of four variations of the Hellephant V8 are available through Dodge's new line of crate engines.
With the launch of Hellephant A30 and Drag Pak 354 Supercharged Crate HEMI engine blocks, Direct Connection continues to expand the brand’s portfolio of crate engine products.
– Matt McAlear, Dodge CEO
It is unlikely that Dodge will ever produce something as crazy as this again, as it transitions from its traditional gas-powered roots into a new, electrically-charged muscle car manufacturer. The chances are, then, that the Hellephant will remain the most powerful gas-engine ever offered by Dodge, and it'll go down in the history books as one of the greatest reminders of what was possible with good old-fashioned American muscle.
Dodge has been around for more than one hundred years. These are 10 of the most powerful engines it ever used.
The Hellephant Dodge engine costs $29,995, but fitting and supporting parts will be at an additional cost.
Dodge suggests that the most powerful version of the Hellephant engine is capable of over 1,100 horsepower, but the original and limited-run Hellephant produced 1,000 horsepower.
Dodge's Hellephant engine is street-legal when fitted to a pre-1976 car, as these older models are subject to different emissions regulations.
The Hellephant engine is based upon the Hellcat, but it has a larger capacity and more horsepower.
2024-12-24T07:49:57ZSources: Dodge, J.D. Power, Dodge Garage