It’s big. It’s powerful. It’s one badass build.

There's an elephant in the room – or more accurately, a 1,000-horsepower (746-kilowatt) retrofitted Dodge Charger. Mopar unleashed it's 1,000-hp "Hellephant" Super Charger at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, complete with its brand-new supercharged 426 Hemi crate engine underhood. And it's an absolute monster of a muscle car. We spent some time with the outrageous coupe and spoke with one of the Mopar engineers behind the build.
As its name suggests, the Hellephant engine borrows most of its bones from the Dodge Hellcat motor. It's larger, with a cylinder bore of 4.0 inches and a stroke of 4.125 inches, and lighter thanks to its aluminum construction instead of the standard Hellcat's iron block.
Dodge Charger Hellephant
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Dodge Charger Hellephant1968 Dodge Charger Hellephant1968 Dodge Charger HellephantDodge Super Charger ConceptHellephant 426 Hemi Crate EngineHellephant 426 Hemi Crate Engine1968 Dodge Charger Hellephant
Together with the purchase of the "Hellephant" motor – which could cost as much as $20,000, according to some reports – the crate includes necessary features like a wiring harness and a PCM tune. But while some buyers might be tempted to shove it into the engine bay of a modern Challenger or Charger, Mopar specifies that the engine was designed for both on and off the road in cars built prior to 1976. Classics only for this crate engine.
Mopar used a 1968 Dodge Charger to showcase its new crate engine at SEMA – but it's far from stock. The restomodded Charger has a new six-speed manual, huge six-piston Brembo brakes, Hellcat wheels, and an updated interior with cues borrowed from the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and the Viper.


Two High-Powered SEMA Standouts:

Mopar 426 Hemi Returns As A 1,000-HP 'Hellephant' Supercharged V8 [UPDATE]
 
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"Our enthusiasts crave power and performance and our new ‘Hellephant’ Mopar Crate HEMI engine and kit deliver huge horsepower and torque in a plug-and-play package that is unique in the industry," said FCA head of parts and service for Mopar, Steve Beahm.
"The 1968 Dodge Charger is one of the hottest classic cars, which is why we decided to use it as a starting point for the ‘Super Charger’ Concept. It’s an amazing vehicle and a great showcase for our ‘Hellephant’ engine."