Dodge unveils new 1100hp Hellephant crate motor range at SEMA
Dodge’s Hellephant was the king of off-the-shelf crate engine grunt when it debuted several years ago, and even with the EV age seemingly bearing down on us, that hasn’t stopped the company from giving the monster Hemi V8 another fistful of stonk.
For SEMA 2022, Dodge has unveiled a whole new range Hellephant crate motors based on the GEN III HEMI, consisting of four different versions ranging from 900hp up to the spiciest iteration that claims an eye-watering 1100hp.
The new engines have been improved with the help of factory-backed Direct Connection parts from DSR Performance. All the new Hellephants feature DSR’s 3.0-litre IHI supercharger, and can be had in either cast-iron or aluminium blocks (denoted by either a C or A in the engine numbers).
Other improvements for the 1000hp and 1100hp versions include a larger supercharger pulley, 105mm throttlebody, upgraded heads and valvetrain, stronger pistons, upgraded pushrods, copper-lead main and rod bearings, billet steel main caps, and E85 compatibility right out of the box.
Here’s the full breakdown from Dodge’s press release on all four new Hellephant variants:
- C30 Crate Engine: This new entry in the Hellephant line-up starts with an upgraded 376 cubic-inch cast-iron long block and features a 3.0L IHI supercharger with larger throttlebody, stronger rods, pistons, upgraded hardware, and an improved valvetrain to produce approximately 900 horsepower on premium fuel, based on preliminary estimates.
- C170 Crate Engine: Based on the C30, it features upgraded fuel system and flex-fuel capability, and will deliver over 1000 horsepower with E85 fuel, based on preliminary estimates.
- A30 Crate Engine: Formally known as the Hellephant 426 Supercharged HEMI crate engine, the A30 makes use of a 426 cubic-inch bored and stroked GEN III HEMI aluminium block and features 4340 H-beam rods with forged aluminium pistons and 3.17-inch supercharger pulley to achieve 1000 horsepower on premium fuel.
- A170 Crate Engine: Based on the A30 with upgraded fuel system with flex-fuel capability, the A170 delivers over 1100 horsepower with E85 fuel, based on preliminary estimates.
Dodge unveiled the new Hellephant range alongside the twin-turbo, straight-six HurriCrate series of engines at SEMA, showing the company has no intention of turning its back on ICE powerplants anytime soon.
“The demand from enthusiasts for performance parts for the street and strip continues to grow, and Direct Connection will continue to be there to feed it,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis.
Included in Dodge’s press release was a mention of a ballistic Hemi crate engine from DSR Performance called the 1500 HEMI, capable of (you guessed it) 1500hp and 1000lb-ft. Unfortunately, no other information was provided about this engine right now.
There’s no word on pricing or availability on the engines either here or Stateside at the time of writing, but rest assured that local distributors like VPW Australia and Eagle Auto Parts should have these in stock as soon as they become available.
