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.
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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Slap it in the back of a late Corvair or a type 3 squareback. Those front wheels will never touch the ground again with that much weight and power hoisting the nose into the sky.
Changli
Chrysler 300 F hardtop. A demons chariot should have fins.
Too slow to edit.
I dropped sand rail, dragster, monster truck ideas because what’s special about this motor isn’t just the comma, but that it has a comma AND can be driven at light throttle, won’t necessarily overheat and die in traffic, can drive hundreds of miles without stopping and doesn’t have to require hearing protection.
Probably doesnt fit on my Honda Insight Gen 1 but whatever I can do to increase the HP because its frustrating to find the balance between good mpg and keeping up with traffic lol
Keeping it in the fam (A-body, in this case), and making it meta: A Dodge Demon Demon.
I think this should be shoved into a mid sized farm for tractor for tractor pulling. Alternatively put one in a JCB Super Site Master backhoe as the send generation JCB GT.
For something more car like, get a sufficiently strong transaxle and update my Hemi minivan idea, with the engine in the second row accessible through the sliding doors in a stock looking van
Shoehorn it into an R34 Skyline somehow. From what I hear, those chassis can handle big horsepower pretty well, and AWD is a must for anything that powerful without drag slicks. If it doesn’t fit in an R34, try an R35 GTR.
Ninety-four comments already, and not one of them is “…your mom.”
Win.
Austin 7, but would likely have to widen it a bit…
Put it back in its crate and keep it for a few years. If it’s still relevant at that point, sell it for a profit. Otherwise donate it to an appropriate museum.
Maybe if I was building an ICE Dragster but mostly these are useless. At over 1,000 HP you can’t put it in anything pre-made because tires, brakes, transmission, drive train can’t handle the power. So you need to custom build everything but still would be wasting power on anything with a turn. The cost of that you probably can get a top fuel Dragster with 12,000 HP, which is more and is built for straightaway. So it’s either underpowered for the straightaway or overpowered for a race track and too expensive for a coffee table.
If you think that kind of power isn’t useful, you’re not thinking big enough. Literally, physically. Ever driven a really slow motorhome? A 1,000 hp crate engine should solve that nicely. Yeah you still need upgraded brakes, but that’s a must for any project vehicle.
Well I am not an expert I see 1,000hp rv taking off from a stop light and leaving cheap aluminum top behind. Even with $10,000 in upgrades on a million dollar Rv.
I test drove Challanger Scatpack with 485HP V8 on 305mm tires all around with a hole in the hood and 6 speed. It acted exactly how you described
1st gear – release the clutch, apply some throttle. Wheelspin at 1750RPM so up shift
2nd gear – reaches 2000 RPM at part throttle and tires lose traction. Up shift
3rd gear – engine bogs down and almost dies in the middle of the left turn from red light
Focus ST on same test drive (Carmax FTW!) was way better and more fun because it had traction, you could wind it up past 2000 RPM, and accelerate from red lights normally.
Too bad it drove almost the same like my G8 because I wanted to buy it but I didn’t want to drive something feeling so similar to what I drove for 13 years already.
Shove it in Muskrat’s ass? Works for me.
PT Cruiser.
Perhaps a late 70s personal luxury car. Perhaps even one with rich, Corinthian leather…
Nah too expensive just to commit suicide.
I was imagining the engine was free in this scenario, but even then you’re right.
Cram that into an old (pre-WW2) Rolls Royce
Or maybe a 70’s one.. I love the idea of putting it in a Roller
Personally, I was thinking of the 1906-1926 Silver Ghost.
I scrolled through the comments and shocked no one said the last RWD Mopar wagon…the Dodge Magnum!!!
If the 6.1 fits, the Hellephant shouldn’t create too many headaches to shoehorn into place. Plus, it keeps it in the Mopar family.
They made a Version of the Lil Red Express called he warlock, I think they even could be had with a Big Block and they pre-date the express, but let’s be honest, the express is all anyone knows about. Anyway. Modern HP in a Rarish 2 door step side would be my vote.
360 was the big engine in these. Not a big block though.
Actually the Midnite Express had 440 power. I think fewer than 200 were made.
in the express, but I am pretty sure the first Warlocks could be had with a 440, though I believe the 76 440 was probably slower than the 340 Head 360 in the Express. Sad to say.
Honestly can’t remember but will accept that.
2010 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. I keep everything else the same except a wing in the back.
Love at 31st sight.
Well, I have a dream build of a 1981 Imperial sleeper. I personally would want my build with a Viper engine for the sheer hilarity, but this would not be a bad choice.
Could this possibly fit a Cadillac ELR? Now, THAT would be the most inappropriate and amusing thing imaginable. I always figured I’d have to “settle” for an LS in that build.
it would be interesting to maybe find a blown Motor Viper and put this ting in it. Can you imagine the double takes at cars and coffee when the regular ass looking viper sounds less agricultural and has double the HP.
No Hemi family engine fits width wise, the V10 is surprisingly narrow.
it was LA small block based I heard, but I did not realize the modern Hemi’s were that wide. seem about as wide as an LS v8, interesting.
1974 Dodge Monaco police car.
Plymouth Superbird, or any K-car!
Any eletric vehicle with enough space to fit it into.
Sure, it is not that useful, but with E100 you could say that is still green.
And with straight pipes would sound far better than any EV.
Just come out and say Mitsubishi Supercharger because thats who IHI is.
You’re all oogling over a Dodge with a Mitsubishi blower 😛
165hp per liter blown on e80 is pretty lame output too. I was just watching the Extreme Tuners 2000hp 4g63t Evo driving on the streets doing pulls with awd. 1000hp per liter on that car with a four cylinder.
Thats not only double the power but its awd and a 3200lb chassis.
Or take the Aluminum frame insight. Swap a kseries turbo and boom, 400hp in a 1500lb chassis will decimate anything you put the 1025hp motor into.
I just don’t see the point of a motor that costs so much money and drinks so much gas when you can just go lighter and be just as fast with less fuel usage.
Mitsubishi supercharger tho….
Wow, it’s almost like aftermarket tuners and factory built engines that pass emissions and carry a warranty can’t be compared.
I don’t think crate engines are emissions tested. But they do have a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty.
I can’t imagine there are too many differences from the production spec Demon 170 engine that is emissions legal.
Certainly it’s much closer to something legal than an “Extreme Tuners 2000hp 4g63t” or a “kseries turbo and boom, 400hp” would be.
assuming the packaging constraints could be figured out, a Lotus Europa. pack that thing with obscene power and maybe revamp the suspension, let ‘er rip!
https://twitter.com/Auto_Attic/status/621738483376386050
honorable mention would be a reall controversial pick due to the blue oval’s original heart being ripped out, but a Detomaso Pantera GT.
https://pantera.infopop.cc/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/1598208457900765/filePointer/1598208457900793/fodoid/1598208457900784/imageType/LARGE/inlineImage/true/reducedback.jpg
I have several thoughts on this and will proceed to list them as they popped into my head, because this is a calm and rational discussion of well reasoned ideas: