Tag Archives: Dodge

SEMA 2018: Dodge Introduces 1,000 Horsepower “Hellephant” Crate Engine

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From the time the Dodge Challenger revival was confirmed in 2006, Dodge has been on a roll with their high-performance enthusiast vehicles. When the third-generation Challenger made its debut in 2008, the 6.1L (372) SRT8 model put out a healthy 425 horsepower.

Dodge bumped it up again in 2011, when the Challenger SRT8 received a new 6.4L (392) HEMI V8 making 470 horses. In 2014, Dodge stunned the automotive world when they introduced the Hellcat with its 6.2L (376) HEMI making a staggering 707 horsepower – the most powerful production engine in a muscle car at that time. In 2017, the bar was raised yet again with the announcement of the SRT Demon, a supercharged version featuring an eye-popping 808 horsepower on 91 octane gas, or 840 horsepower on 100-octane.

How much further can they go? Well at SEMA 2018, we got an answer. Mopar fans were delighted to hear about Chrysler’s latest creation: a supercharged, all aluminum 7.0-liter (426 cubic inch) HEMI crate engine. The “Hellephant” as it is nicknamed, will produce 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. It is far and away the most powerful crate engine ever offered by an OEM.

To promote the new engine, Chrysler’s Product Design Office (PDO) came up with the idea of installing the engine into a classic 1968 Dodge Charger. The “Super Charger” is equipped with a stock T-6060 six-speed manual transmission, along with a number of custom touches.

  • “De Grigio” Grey Metallic paint
  • Brembo six-piston disc brakes
  • Side mirrors from a 1971 Duster
  • 5-inch exhaust tips borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio
  • Dodge Viper steering wheel
  • Dodge Viper seats, wrapped in Alcantara with red stitching
  • Sabelt four-point racing harnesses
  • Custom roll cage with 2-inch diameter tube
  • Rear seat delete
  • LED brake lights
  • 20×11″ front wheels, 21×12″ custom rear wheels
  • lowered 3.5 inches in front, 2.5 inches in rear
  • shaved door handles, drip rails, trunk lock

Pricing for the Hellephant engine was not announced, though it will likely be more than the $19,530 price tag for the Hellcat crate engine. It is expected to be available for sale in early 2019.

Part Number Reference:

Interior
Fuel Level, Full Sweep, Electronic 2 1/16″, Black Dial – 77060043
Oil Pressure, Short Sweep, Electronic 2 1/16″, Range 0-100 psi, Black Dial – 77060045
Speedometer, In-Dash, Full Sweep, Electronic 3 3/8″, Range 0-160 mph, Black Dial – 77060055
Voltmeter, Short Sweep, Electronic, 2 1/16″, Range 8-18 volts, White Dial – 77060050
Tachometer, In-Dash, Full Sweep, Electronic 3 3/8″, Range 0-10,000 rpm, Black Dial – 77060057
Water Temperature

Performance/Engine
426 Supercharged Crate HEMI Engine Kit: 77072500
Hellephant 426 Supercharged Crate HEMI Engine: P5160194
6.2L EO Air Filter Element – 77072491
6.2L Supercharged Crate HEMI Engine FEAD Basics Kit (includes alternator, power steering pump, pulleys, and hardware) – 77072492

 

1979 Dodge Lil Red Express | Barrett-Jackson 2018

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Available in 1978 and 1979 this truck has a reputation for being one of the fastest vehicles produced during those years. Although I’d like to be able correctly credit the reason why Dodge was able to squeeze a massive 225hp net rating out of the 360 under the hood, there’s a ton of conflicting reasons why.

Some say it was due to a loophole that allowed a lack of emissions equipment, specifically the catalytic converters. However another source claims the 1979 model has catalytic converters equipped on it, as well as a pointless 85mph speedometer.

What I can say is that Mopar was not able to match this number again until 1993 with the 230hp 5.9l Magnum V8. This truck has also fallen by the wayside along with the Warlock, Midnight Express and other Dodge trucks from this era that paved the way for trucks like the Dodge SRT-10, Ford Lightning, Silverado SS and many others.

This handsome piece of late 70’s lore sold for $20,000 in auction.

SEMA 2015: 1965 Dodge Dart SL by Big Oak Garage

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1965-dart-sl-profileHot Rodding may have begun in southern California, but the guys at Big Oak Garage in Hokes Bluff, Alabama have certainly perfected the craft. They have given the “Big Oak” treatment to this 1965 Dodge Dart, which I saw on display at the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The car’s bright green and chrome look caught my attention right away! The color is actually a stock Mopar color called “Green With Envy,” which I thought was very cool. You don’t see too many of these cars around, especially at a show like SEMA which is dominated by pro-touring Camaro and Mustang builds. The Dart stands out, and in a good way. Continue reading →

SEMA 2015: 1970 Dodge Charger Tantrum by Speedkore

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1970-charger-tantrum-profileGone are the days when building a hot rod meant swapping in a junkyard motor and some bolt-ons to any old jalopy. The collector car market is now dominated by elite restoration shops that completely deconstruct and reassemble the classics of yesterday as modern hot rods. These cars are adorned with precision machined parts, exotic materials like titanium and carbon fiber, and one-off fabricated parts. In many cases, these frame-off resto-mods may take one to three years to build and cost upwards of $150,000 or more!

Hot rodding has become an over-the-top, “mine’s-bigger-than-yours” competition of insane proportions. The latest example of this comes from SpeedKore Performance in Grafton, Wisconsin. Their 1970 Dodge Charger “Tantrum” is one of the wildest custom car builds I have ever seen.

In 1970, the only people working with carbon fiber would have been the aviation industry and NASA. This space-age material is incredibly lightweight and strong. At the time this car rolled off the production line, it would have been unthinkable to have such materials in a passenger car. But that’s exactly what Speedkore have done: carbon fiber hood, front fenders, and bumpers.

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1959 Plymouth Belvedere w/Dodge Viper V10 Engine Swap

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plymouth-belvedere-viper-engineOff the top of your head, what were some of the top supercars of the 1990s? The ones that come to my mind are: Jaguar XJ220, Lamborghini Diablo, Dodge Viper, and the McLaren F1. While all of them were iconic in their own right, only one of them has fallen into the sub-$40,000 range today: the Dodge Viper.

This depreciation has made the Viper’s V10 engine an attractive option for people looking to do an unusual engine swap. People like the owner of this 1959 Belvedere, for example.

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1970s Dodge Ram Custom Van

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dodge-van-custom-dual-tandem-axleThe 1970s are remembered today as a decade of excess, and nothing embodies that mindset greater than the cars that people were driving. This was the era that gave us the Dukes of Hazzard, Smokey and the Bandit, and the original “Gone in 60 Seconds.”

There was another craze during the 1970s: custom vans. People would take full-size vans from Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge and trick them out with shag carpet, a stereo system, custom paint and wheels, custom interior, CB radio, and even accessories like mini fridges!

“Vanning” exploded in popularity and was featured in movies and songs of the era. Like vinyl records and most things from the 1970s, “street vans” fell out of fashion to fade into obscurity, only to see a small revival today.

This 1970s-era Dodge Ram van may be a relic of that era. It looks to have been converted to a camper/motorhome at one point, and is now languishing on a side street. The interesting thing about this van is its dual rear axle setup – something I have not seen before and can find very little about on the Internet. I suspect it may have been a custom modification.