- the demonology youtube channel, devoted to the dodge challenger srt demon, recently posted this video featuring a hellephant-equipped demon.
- the hellephant, of course, is a 1000-hp crate engine that made its debut at the 2018 sema show.
- results? as shown in the video, 944 horsepower and 877 pound-feet of torque.
the 426 hemi was a particularly memorable iteration of fca's hemi v-8. this naturally aspirated 7.0-liter v-8 was nicknamed "the elephant" for its power, size, and heft, and once powered iconic muscle cars of yore such as the plymouth barracuda and the dodge challenger. and while that 426-cubic-inch big block has been out of production since 1971, the mopar faithful were given a reason to rejoice about its return a couple years back. at the 2018 sema show, dodge unveiled one of its craziest crate engines to date, the 1000-hp hellephant.
within just two days the limited-production hellephant was sold out, but not before the demonology youtube channel could reserve theirs. demonology put the hellephant, not all that surprisingly, into a challenger srt demon. to some, modifying the special demon may be sacrilegious, but much more egregious acts have been committed in the quest for horsepower and bragging rights. in a dyno video featuring the aforementioned hellephant-powered demon, the dyno indicates 877 pound-feet of torque and 944 horsepower at the wheels.
as with any dyno test, there are many outside factors that can affect the results you get, and no two dynos are the same. however, let's presume that this test was done correctly and that the numbers are accurate. calculating the drivetrain loss using the 1000-hp rating from fca yields an assumed drivetrain loss of roughly 6 percent, far below that of the old assumed 15-percent loss. to us, though, that makes complete sense, as drivetrain efficiency has improved throughout the years. low-weight oil, low-friction seals, axles, and bearings, and mass optimization on the gears and other hard parts have all drastically cut down on parasitic loss through the drivetrain. then again, the demon's transmission, if that is what is still in the car, was likely overbuilt because of its factory warranty.
regardless of whether it makes 1000 or 1200 horsepower, a supercharged 7.0-liter v-8 isn't something to scoff at, and it's pretty awesome that someone has finally taken the time to stick one in a demon and show us the numbers. what we really want to know is, does it actually hook up?