How Much Does A 426 HEMI Crate Engine Cost & How Much HP Can It Produce?

Many enthusiasts will recognize the 426 HEMI engine for powering several legendary vehicles from the golden age of muscle cars. That original engine might no longer be in production, but project car owners looking for tire-shredding V8 power — and are willing to pay a premium for it — can still buy a modernized version of the 426 HEMI today. Dodge's in-house performance parts division, Direct Connection, offers a supercharged 426 HEMI V8 engine with the part number P5160194AC for a retail price of $29,995.

The engine is also known as the Hellephant, and has only ever appeared in one production car, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. In the Demon 170, the engine was rated for 1,025 hp, but Direct Connection lists the Hellephant crate engine as producing 1,000 hp. According to the listing, it can be legally used in any pre-1976 car, but it isn't legal for road use in later vehicles. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Hellephant crate engine is listed as temporarily unavailable from Direct Connection, with no estimated time for when it will be back in stock.

A 1,000-hp Hellephant crate engine might seem pretty extreme to many enthusiasts, but it isn't the most powerful 426 HEMI crate engine that Direct Performance offers. Buyers with deep pockets can also enquire about the Direct Connection 1200 426 Supercharged HEMI Crate Engine. Built by DSR Performance at a facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, the engine packs 1,200 hp and retails for $37,999. It's capable of running on 93 pump gas or E85 fuel.

The DC-1200 engine features a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger and a laundry list of other high-performance components, including forged CP Carillo pistons, Manton Performance pushrods, and heads and valves from the Hellcat engine. The same specialist also offers a range-topping 1500 HEMI crate engine for $59,999, with the same 426-CI displacement.

Thanks to a suite of additional racing-oriented upgrades, the DSR1500-DC is capable of churning out a staggering 1,500 hp, but is still compatible with a standard Hellcrate wiring harness. Thus, you can readily swap it into pre-1976 road cars or custom racing builds. However, it still isn't the most powerful crate engine on the market, as some crate engines make over 2,000 hp.