Dodge Hellephant Crate Engine Production Finally Beginning After Quality Issue

The 6.98-liter (426-cubic-inch) supercharged Hellephant V8 crate engine will finally begin deliveries to customers before the end of the year, Muscle Cars & Trucks reports. FCA began taking orders for the $29,995 powerplant on April 26 (4/26 as a play on the displacement) and sold out of them within 48 hours. However, the Mopar parts division discovered that too much camshaft tension was causing them to break. The company delayed shipping out the powerplants until this problem was solved.

Gallery: Hellephant Supercharged 426 Hemi And 1968 Dodge Charger at SEMA

16

The Hellephant produces a prodigious 1,000 horsepower (745 kilowatts) and 950 pound-feet (1,288 Newton-meter) of torque. Each one comes with the water pump, flywheel, oil pan for the front sump, supercharger and throttle body, coil packs, and fuel injectors.

For $2,265, buyers were able to add a package of extra equipment that includes a powertrain control module, power distribution center, harnesses for the chassis and engine wiring, ground jumper, oxygen sensors, charge-air temperature sensors, and fuel pump control module. Mopar says it "makes for a relatively simple plug-and-play by experienced installers."

It Packs Pachyderm Power:

That Was Quick: 1,000-Horsepower Hellephant Hemi Sold Out

Mopar didn't say how many orders for the Hellephant that it took, but rumors put the figure at just 100 units. This small number made sense because the company was assembling each one by hand. The company reportedly intends to make another production run in the future.

Mopar debuted the Hellephant at the 2018 SEMA Show by stuffing the engine into a 1968 Dodge Charger restomod. The mill hooked up to a six-speed manual. To stop, the car had huge Brembo brakes, and they were behind 20-inch wheels in the front and 21-inch pieces in the back. It packed also an overhauled body with wider fenders and a shorter front overhang than stock.