About 2200 years after Hannibal crossed the Alps to invade Italy with the help of an army of African war elephants, the Mopar brand of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles launches the Hellephant – a gigantic, supercharged 1,000-horsepower engine that wants to sell and is capable of generating 950-pound torque.
The birthday can be coincidental, but the power is not. The Hellephant represents a 41 percent power boost over the 707 hp Hellcrate 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 crate engine that Mopar introduced just a year ago.
The brand's newest colossal-in-a-box reaches back to Mopar's 426 Hemi engine, which debuted in 1964 and was known as the Elephant Motor because of its size and power. The Elephant race engine boasted about half of the power and torque values of the crate engine that Mopar unveiled on Tuesday at the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas.
Mopar says that the supercharged Hellephant and associated installation kits are intended for enthusiasts for use in vehicles from before 1976, and showed a concept Dodge Charger from 1968 equipped with the Hellephant and other accessories he called the Super Charger.
"Our enthusiasts crave power and performance and our new" Hellephant "Mopar Crate HEMI engine and set deliver tremendous power and torque in a plug-and-play package that is unique in the industry," Steve Beahm, head of Mopar and brands of passenger cars for FCA USA, said in a statement. "The Dodge Charger from 1968 is one of the most popular classic cars and that's why we decided to use it as a starting point for the" Super Charger & # 39; "concept: it's a great vehicle and a great vehicle. showcase for our & # 39; Hellephant & # 39; engine. "
The Hellephant engine uses improved displacement to achieve its four-digit power, with 4.0 inches of stroke and bore specifications at 4.125 inches. Mopar says that an improved supercharger with a high efficiency rotor is mounted on the lighter aluminum block. The block was also used in the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak racing cars that achieved the success of drag racing this year.
The demonic pachyderm logo of the Hellephant is a signboard for both the Muscle Car era Elephant 426 HEMI and the more recent success of FCA with the Hellcat and Demon performance cars.
The complete engine assembly, which Mopar says, is relatively plug-and-play for experienced installers, including a water pump, flywheel, oil pan in the front, supercharger with throttle body, fuel injectors and flush packages. The available motor kit consists of a driveline control module, power distribution center, motor wiring, chassis harness, accelerator pedal, ground jumper, oxygen sensors, temperature sensors for loading, fuel pump control module and cambus interface device. The powertrain control module is unlocked and tuned to pump out 1,000 horsepower and 950 pound-foot torque.
The FCA Parts and Service Mark will also offer an essential Front End Accessory Drive Kit, including an alternator, power steering pump, belts, pulleys and other items to facilitate installation.
Prices are not released. FCA said the Hellephant 426 HEMI crate engine and set is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2019.