Dodge Unleashes New HurriCrate And Hellephant Crate Engines With Up To 1,100 HP

Direct Connection, Dodge’s line of aftermarket high-performance parts, has introduced a new family of crate engines and expanded another. The Hellephant V8 will now be more powerful than ever, while the HurriCrate inline-six is ideal for racers and restomodders alike, the brand announced at SEMA.

The Hellephant Family You Won’t Ever Forget

The 426 Supercharged Hellephant family of crate engines will now be expanded to include models made of cast iron and aluminum, and powered by premium or E85 fuel. With power output ranging from 900 to 1,100 hp (671-820 kW/912-1,115 PS), the engines will be useful for a number of applications.

With the new engines come new names. To help differentiate the Hellephant engines, Dodge has added either an A or a C prefix that refers to what material it is made of: A for aluminum and C for cast iron.

A number then follows that, which refers to the recommended fuel. The number 30 will refer exclusively to premium fuel (E15 max). The number 170, meanwhile, refers to E85 fuel, and both are a reference to the alcohol content “proof” of the fuel type.

Read: Dodge’s Direct Connection Will Unleash Your Hellcat V8 And Cover It Under Factory Warranty

The A30 Hellephant, then, is made of aluminum and runs on premium fuel. It delivers 1,000 hp (746 kW/1,014 PS) thanks to 4340 H-beam rods, forged aluminum pistons, and a 3.17 inch pulley on the supercharger. The A170 engine, meanwhile, uses E85 fuel and delivers 1,100 hp (820 kW/1,115 PS).

The C30 cast iron crate engine is the new entry model to the lineup. The long block engine has a 3.0-liter IHI supercharger with larger throttle body, stronger rods, pistons, and upgraded hardware to produce 900 hp (671 kW/912 PS). The C170, meanwhile, has the same upgrades, but thanks to its E85 fuel can make 1,000 hp (746 kW/1,014 PS).

The HurriCrate Engine Series

If you want fewer cylinders in your engine, the 3.0-liter Hurricane I6-based HurriCrate engine comes in two flavors. The Cat 1 crate engine offers up to 420 hp (313 kW/426 PS) and 468 lb-ft (635 Nm) of torque thanks to two liquid charge-air cooling turbos that deliver up to 22 psi of peak boost. The cast aluminum block has a cast iron top ring land insert, 10.4:1 compression, direct fuel injection, and an engine mounted water-to-air charge cooler.

The Cat 3 crate engine, meanwhile, makes 550 hp (410 kW/558 PS) and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque thanks to twin Garrett turbos that have 26 psi of peak boost and oil-jet cooled forged aluminum pistons. It has a 9.5:1 compression ratio, dual high-pressure direct fuel injection pumps, and a water-to-air charge cooler.

A third version of the engine is planned specifically for racers. Dubbed the Cat X crate engine, it will also include a future Drag Pak and is expected to make more than 1,000 hp (746 kW/1,014 PS)

Unfortunately, figures for that engine have not yet been made public, and all of the power figures listed above are still preliminary. Dodge will update us on all of that soon, though, and pricing and availability will also be announced in 2023.