What would you do with Mopar’s 1000bhp crate engine?

After an engine for your project car? Well, the good ol’ United States of America has got you covered, courtesy of Mopar’s 1,000bhp ‘Hellephant” crate engine. Oh say can you see...etc.

Revealed at last year’s SEMA show, the Hellephant is a 1,000bhp, 950lb ft supercharged V8 that Mopar will sell you as-is, ready for you to install in whatever car takes your fancy (within reason). Pre-orders for the crate engine have just opened. The price is $29,995 - about £23,000, or one Ford Fiesta ST.

Unfortunately there is some small print. Mopar says the engine is “designed for installation on pre-1976 street and off-road vehicles” (like the Charger pictured), and that a $2,265 engine kit makes the job a “relatively simple plug-and-play” affair for “experienced installers”. We’d hope an especially experienced installer would be able to fit the Hellephant to a post-1976 vehicle, given the time, equipment and inclination. A vehicle like... well, we don’t know. Why don’t you tell us in the comments below...

The smallest and most unfortunate print can be found on Mopar’s pre-order site: “not legal on pollution-controlled vehicle or vehicle registered for highway use” it says. Boo and indeed hiss. Maybe it’s legal somewhere other than the States...