If you are a Mopar enthusiast, then you will know that Mopar unveiled their brand new 426 Hemi Crate Motor! You will also know that this is a very exciting time for Moparians because it is the first time that a new 426 Hemi has been produced by Mopar available for sale since 1971. For those of you that may not be car history buffs or a Mopar fanatic like myself, lets give you a brief history lesson on this motor's history.
The 426 Hemi (Second Generation Hemi) was first produced in 1964 until 1971, and was a naturally aspirated V8 motor named after it's 426 cu in (7.0L) displacement. Only 11,000 of these motors were originally produced due to pricing. The 426 Hemi was originally produced for Nascar, as the racing scene was becoming more and more competitive. Initially, the motor wasn't available to the general public (only available in special production cars) and as such Ford complained and the motor was banned in Nascar for the 1965 season. In direct response to the complaint, Chrysler introduced the "street" 426 hemi in 1966, making the motor readily available to the general public therefore allowing it to be once again allowed in Nascar.
The second-generation hemi originally produced 425 horsepower at 5,000 RPM and 490 lb ft of torque at 4,000 RPM. This motor was so large that the quantity produced was limited due to the fact it could only fit in large engine bays. When fully assembled, the motor weighed in at over 1,000 pounds. Due to its sheer size and weight, it was dubbed the nickname, "The Elephant."
So now that we have had a brief history lesson into the 2nd Generation 426 Hemi, let's take a look into the new 426 "Hellephant." In 2015, Dodge unleashed the 707 horsepower Hellcat. When making the motor available for sale as a crate motor, Mopar naturally decided to call the crate a "Hellcrate." Keeping the marketing direction similar, the "Hellephant" pays homage to its predecessor in a couple of ways. The new 426 still utilizes a 426 cu in, 7.0L engine block. Being the motor is in need of a much needed weight reduction, the designers at Mopar composed the new motor with aluminum, instead of the original cast iron block dropping the engine weight by 100 pounds. Since the motor went on a weight loss program and no longer weighs 1,000 pounds, it now utilizes the number 1,000 in a much more powerful way, producing 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. So how does the modern 426 Hemi go from 425 horsepower to hell-raising 1,000 horsepower? The new-age motor utilizes a monstrous 3.0L supercharger and is now designed to enjoy a more refined, higher octane fuel, racing fuel to be exact. The motor also shares the same heads with the 2018 specialty car, limited edition Dodge Demon.
This new Hellephant motor is only available in Hellcrate form. It is not available in any newly produced mopar products. According to Mopar, it has been produced to be specifically installed in Mopars that date pre-1976. That means as of the moment, don't expect to see a newly-released Mopar vehicle sport this behemoth. Since Mopar has now made clear what it is intended for, they conveniently will be producing the motor with a plug-and-play kit as well as an available "Front-end Accessory Drive" kit for pre 1976 Mopars. No official numbers have been released regarding what the crate will cost, but considering the Hellcat Hellcrate displays a $20,000 price tag, I would expect this to be closer to the $25-30,000 mark.
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