When it comes to classic big-block engines, none comes close to the 426 cu 7.0L Hemi Elephant, a name Mopar is reviving for 2018.
Big engines with massive, supercar shaming power numbers are what seems to sell for Dodge these days, and, to tap into their rich history of larger than life engines, it looks like they’re bringing back a good one, the 426 Elephant. As per Mopar in an official tweet it teased earlier this week (Oct. 24,2018) they’ve got a crate engine in the works just in time for SEMA that should knock the socks off every Mopar enthusiast and should perk the ears of the bigwigs over at SVT and Chevrolet Performance. Check out their lesson in semiotics below.
SOMETHING BIG IS COMING!
On October 30, 2018, all will be revealed. Be sure to check https://t.co/7CjwyctPAf for more details on our next game changer. #Mopar #MoparSEMA #SEMA2018 pic.twitter.com/zdI2HPA5i8— MOPAR (@OfficialMOPAR) October 24, 2018
The SRT Hellcat crate engine is Mopar’s most powerful offering with a whopping 707 HP and 650 lb-ft that anyone with $19,500 burning a hole in their pocket can buy for themselves. Although it’s not the biggest engine they offer, it is the one that grabs the most headlines.
The 426 Hemi Elephant was a race-only specific engine they stuffed in Nascar winning cars of the time. It was such a winning formula for Dodge that they changed the rules, stipulating these one-off engines had to be in production cars so we saw this Elephant stuffed in Dodge and Plymouth B-bodies. The street version of this legendary engine was detuned to 425 HP and 490 lb-ft, numbers that still stand performance-wise even today.
The name Elephant comes from its size at a whopping 7.0L, there were few engines at the time that rivaled the Elephant including the Ford Boss 429, Chevy 427 ZL1, and Pontiac 400 Ram Air.
Since this video shows the Elephant footprint squashing the Hellcat’s paw, I’m going to take that as a sign that whatever they’re coming out with will be more powerful than said 6.2L Hellcat crate engine.
Expect power numbers for this legendary package to hover around 750 HP and 700 lb-ft, monstrous numbers for an elephant-sized engine.
[…] As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the Chrysler, known now as Dodge, Elephant engine is a legendary big-block Hemi engine that put out a monstrous at the time 425 HP and 490 lb-ft back in the late 60’s and into the early 70’s. First released as a race engine, it wasn’t available to the general public like this engine is. […]