FCA launches new 807-hp 'Hellcrate' Redeye crate motor

FCA announced Friday that it's adding Redeye power to its crate motor program. The new 6.2-liter Hellcrate Redeye becomes the fifth modern Hemi design to be made available to end customers, joining the 5.7- and 6.4-liter naturally aspirated offerings, the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcrate, and the monstrous, 1,000-horsepower 426 "Hellephant."

Just in case a "regular" 707-horsepower Hellcat swap isn't enough, the Redeye ticks that up to 807 horsepower thanks to a larger-displacement supercharger producing 14.5 pounds of boost (up from 11.6), a higher rev limiter (6,500 vs. 6,200 RPM), reduced weight and friction, improved piston cooling and better oiling. And all of it can be yours for an eye-watering $21,807 — or about 1/3 the cost of an actual Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye. 

"2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled to a pure performance brand with 700+ horsepower models available across the entire Dodge lineup," said FCA fun-stuff boss Tim Kuniskis, in the company's announcement.

Part of the appeal of a V8 swap in America is that it's typically pretty inexpensive thanks to the multitudes of pickup trucks being scrapped from the country's roads on an almost-weekly basis, but crate motors are another animal entirely, and a far more expensive path for those craving more power. On the flip side, they're perfect for the professional, high-quality builds we're accustomed to seeing at venues such as SEMA.

Plus, OEMs tend to offer accessories for mating these engines to existing powertrains and making use of factory accessories. In this case, kits for both automatic and manual transmission applications are available, and an accessory drive kit includes an alternator, power-steering pump, belts, pulleys and mounting hardware.