What Would You Stuff Dodge’s 1,025 Horsepower Demon 170 Crate Motor Into?

Demon 170 Crate Motor Autopian Asks
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The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 might be the greatest American achievement since putting Neil Armstrong on the moon. Four figures of horsepower, an eight-second quarter mile time, and a factory warranty, all in a freaking Dodge. This insanely powerful Challenger may only be available to a select few customers, but you can now buy the hellacious 1,025 horsepower Demon 170 engine and build your own spawn of Satan.

Technically called the Hellephant C170 Crate HEMI Engine, it’s the same force-fed, corn-fueled 6.2-liter V8 found in the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. As such, it gets a three-liter IHI supercharger, beefy pistons and connecting rods, and fueling set up for a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline to crank out an astonishing 1,025 horsepower at 6,500 RPM and 945 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,200 RPM.

Needless to say, this is one badass engine. Oh, and that’s not all — at $27,695, it’s actually reasonably priced for a 1,000 horsepower crate motor. No, really. The market for passenger vehicle crate motors with a comma in their output is actually quite small, and looking at the brief history of OEM entries, the Hellephant C170 Crate HEMI engine is the cheapest of the bunch.

For comparison, the 1,000 horsepower Hellephant 426 crate engine carried a price of $29,995, while the 1,004-horsepower Chevrolet ZZ632 10.3-liter crate motor retails on Summit Racing for $30,383.97. Sure, limited E85 fuel availability may be a downside to the Hellephant C170 Crate HEMI Engine, but saving a few grand and still getting 1,000 horsepower is a big plus. However, it’s still up to buyers to find the right chassis, so we’re asking you, what would you put this 1,025 horsepower beast into?

It shouldn’t be a surprise that we love dajibans, modified Dodge Ram Vans that haul motorcycles to the track in Japan and then haul ass around the track themselves. The typical recipe is to take a 1994 or newer Ram Van, drop it down low on a set of RS Watanabe wheels, beef up the power and brakes, and then simply rip. It’s endlessly entertaining watching these things go round, and 1,025 horsepower ought to make one just the right sort of scary. Sure, your knees are the crumple zones, but just don’t crash and you’ll be alright.

demon 170

Of course, you probably have your own idea of what to put this absolute unit in. Perhaps you want to build your own modern-day interpretation of the AC Cobra, fulfil your monster truck fantasies, or even build the world’s fastest street-legal Chrysler Cordoba. Whatever it is, we won’t judge, we just want to hear it.

(Photo credits: Stellantis)

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133 thoughts on “What Would You Stuff Dodge’s 1,025 Horsepower Demon 170 Crate Motor Into?”

  3. The back of someone’s pickup in exchange for $20K so I can buy a vehicle I actually want. They save $7,695 and I get $20K (assuming the engine was given to me for free).

  12. While someone already offered up the probably correct answer of a Miata, I counter with maybe the most ridiculous: Aston Martin Cygnet.

  13. A [structurally reinforced] ’70 or ’71 Challenger with a pistol-grip six-speed.

    The idea is that it would be a kind of sleeper, and seeing a factory-looking shifter wouldn’t give the game away to a casual observer.

    1. I *think* on the latest episode of Bitchin Rides (I know…), they put this monster in a ’70 Challenger for Kevin Hart. At least I think it was this engine. Personally, I would put this thing in my 2007 VW Rabbit

  15. My first thought was a sand rail. My second was a crazy Formula Offroad Hill Climb rig. My third was an offshore racing boat.

    The common theme is off-road use. I wouldn’t trust my “engineering” skills with something that could endanger innocents on public roads.

  22. I would also stick with the Stellantis family (though now divorced) and stuff it in a Sprinter.

    Why? I’d like to test out the theory put forward by the F4 Phantom that you can make a brick fly if you put a big enough engine in it.

  23. Miata
    Is
    Always
    The
    Answer

    Yes, a Miata NB with a Miata Italia kit front end, a custom aerodynamic fastback hard top to cut drag, a roll cage, with the rear-end tubbed out, and some big, fat tires in the back that will probably take up a majority of the width of the rear end. Would need a custom differential and probably a Lenco transmission.

    It would be nice to get 30+ mpg if you baby it, and then to have an arch-Demon when you put the hammer down…

      1. I’ve seen videos of it. It was amazing. It needs different tires and a re-design of the rear suspension, and some ballast to balance it. Not an easy or inexpensive thing to get right, but I think it is possible.

        1. from what I have heard the new owner is fixing it properly and making the right improvements after the last owner spun it into a ditch leaving a car show.

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