A good engine swap, while incredibly tricky, can turn an average car into an absolute monster. Thankfully, at this year’s SEMA show a couple manufacturers unveiled their newest crate engines for all your swapping needs.
The first one we check out is the 6.2-liter Hellcat from Mopar. This engine turned some heads when the mad scientists at SRT stuffed it under the hood of both the Charger and Challenger for the 2015 model year.
Now you can play mad scientist yourself and Hellcat anything you please. Want a Hellcat Jeep Wrangler YJ? Go for it! How about a Hellcat Dodge Aries K Car? If you can make it fit — and let’s face it, with a Sawzall you can make anything fit — then why not? If you think a car deserves 707 hp, then, by all means, swap the engine in.
The crazier the engine swap, the more interesting it typically is. Now with the Hellcat on deck, we expect to see some really cool combinations coming from professional garages and amateur tuners.
What’s all this going to cost you though? Surprisingly the Hellcat crate engine is decently priced at $19,530. You’ll also need to pony up $2,195 for the plug-and-play engine management system. But for $21,725 get a race-ready engine to your door.
You also get a three-year unlimited mile warranty for your money as well. The best part is the folks at FCA don’t care what you put it in either. A Hellcat hovercraft? They’ll cover it assuming you survive your first go in it — but it’s a hovercraft, so you won’t.
For those who don’t want a big and brash V8, the second engine we take a look at might be of more interest.
Honda Performance Division (HPD) announced that it will now sell you the turbo 2.0 liter from a Civic Type R. This 306 hp four pot makes big power in a small package.
There is a caveat though and it’s a big one. HPD will only sell you the engine if you are a member of the Honda Racing Line program and hold a valid racing license. You also must show results of your last two races.
However, two of the sanctioning bodies HPD recognizes is the SCCA and NASA, which are fairly easy to join. They’re also not overly pricey either, an SCCA membership runs $70 for the year while you can get into NASA for just $45.
There’s no indication on the membership application for the Honda Racing Line as to which series you need to participate in. So if you’re an autocross enthusiast you should technically be able to sign up for the program. This means you can buy a Type R engine for your EJ-body Civic and live out all your fantasies from The Fast & The Furious.
Hijacking a semi truck loaded with electronics isn’t even needed to afford the engine either. The price is just $6,519.87 plus shipping. This is far more reasonable than the Hellcat and with the right setup, your car could be just as quick.
For those that can’t afford either engine or just want to come up with some crazy combinations, there’s always Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Motorsports 7. While the newest Type R engine isn’t in the games, the Hellcat is.
Be sure and check out the forums and let us know what you’d swap these engines into!
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