That’s right, this is your chance to own one fresh out of the crate!
When Mopar opened up pre-orders for the Hellephant crate engine, all units were spoken for in a matter of hours. The supercharged 426ci Hemi V8 packs one hell of a punch with 1,000-horsepower and 950 lb.-ft. of torque on tap. Now, about the only way you can get your hands on one is forking out for some high-end build, many which easily push well into the six digits. However, one Hellephant crate engine is heading to the auction block, which might be the most affordable way to snag it these days.
To squeeze those kinds of monstrous figures from the Hellephant, Mopar lengthened the aluminum block Hemi V8’s stroke to 4.0 inches and increased bore to 4.125 inches. Capitalizing on the greater displacement is a supercharger with a high-efficiency rotor, which allows for more oxygen molecules crammed into each combustion chamber on the intake stroke.
Plenty of nostalgia is wrapped up in the Hellephant and its elephant-themed logo. After all, the old school 426 Hemi V8 was nicknamed the “elephant” engine since it was so big and powerful.
Originally, Mopar sold the Hellephant supercharged Hemi V8 crate engine for $29,995. A plug-and-play engine kit was also offered for $2,265. The Mecum listing doesn’t specify anything, so we don’t know if any accessories are included, but they’re likely not.
We don’t expect Mopar will make another crate engine like the Hellephant, what with Stellantis’ big push toward electrification and such. Even the Hellcat V8’s days are numbered along with all the other Hemis. In other words, the value of such an engine will likely only increase over time as people wax nostalgic over back in the day when cars roared to life instead of booting up like a smartphone.
This Hellephant crate engine will be auctioned at the Mecum Houston 2022 event on Saturday, April 2. We expect there will be plenty of interest in this untouched specimen, so seeing how high the bids go will be interesting.
Check out the lot listing here.
