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Mopar Hellephant crate engine sells out in 48 hours

This happened so quickly that we're only just catching up with it. Mopar opened pre-orders on the 7.0-liter Hellephant Hemi crate engine on April 26, which is Hemi Day. According to Allpar, hubbub on social media not long after that day claimed Mopar had gone through all of its Hellephant stock. When Allpar asked Fiat Chrysler for clarification, a spokesperson e-mailed, "Given the high demand and the hand-built, time-intensive build process, we have closed preordering for the 426 Hellephant Supercharged HEMI crate engine. Based on preorders, the engine sold out in just two days. Customers can visit www.cratehemi.com to receive future information and updates on the 'Hellephant' engine." No one is certain how many engines Mopar sold. Allpar wrote, "Industry insiders believe Mopar may be making around 100," but reiterated that it's a guess. The engine and the ordering process have their peculiarities. Mopar Insiders explained that Tool Engineering International helped create the 426-cubic-inch block, and that the Hellephant engine "shares nothing except for displacement with the rumored upcoming 7.0-liter 426 Hemi V8." On the Hellcat.org forum, a poster wrote that the engines "can only be sold through a dealer and that the dealers can only order 1 engine per week." The Hellephant doesn't come with Mopar's three-year, 100,000-mile warranty, either. During a press briefing last October, FCA officials said they weren't sure about offering any warranty. Based on the motor being given a part number starting with the letter P, there is a bit of protection, but it's a 90-day limited warranty covering "defects in materials or wokmanship," and only applies to engines not used in competition. For those who didn't get the opportunity to drop $29,995 for 1,000 horsepower and 950 pound-feet of torque, the best bet is to hope for the return of Apollyon's pachyderm. Motor1 wrote that "Rumors hint at... another limited run scheduled for next year due to overwhelming demand." That's thin thread to hang a Hellephant from, but it beats bupkis.

2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye priced $14,000 below Demon

Steve Beahm, head of Passenger Car Brands at Dodge, SRT, Chrysler, and Fiat, told Motor Trend that the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is "a Hellcat that's been possessed by a Demon." Turns out the Hellcat Redeye was also possessed by The Ghost of Great Deals. Dodge just released pricing for the Challenger line, the crimson-eyed terror at the top starting at $69,650, which is $13,645 less dear than the $83,295 MSRP for the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon. The asterisk: the Redeye needs the same $1,345 destination charge and $1,700 gas guzzler tax as the 2018 Demon, so the difference still holds once you get the Redeye off the dealer lot. The final tally: $72,995. Torque News acquired a copy of the Challenger dealer order guide, and options on the Hellcat Redeye will run you a little more than the bucket of $1 options on the Demon. Among the list, the summer performance tires add $695, the optional 3.09 rear axle adds $1,095, a painted black hood costs $1,995, and the Widebody package adds $6,000 for it's extra 3.5 inches. According to TN, you can run a standard Hellcat Redeye up to almost $90,000, and push a widebody to $95,000. The standard Challenger SRT Hellcat gets touched by the bargain bogeyman, too: the price goes down by $5,645 for 2019 to $58,650, even though it's been uprated by ten horsepower to 717 hp, and by six pound-feet to 656 lb-ft. Out-the-door price after a $1,700 gas guzzler tax and $1,345 destination fee is $61,695. Before including destination, there's a long way down to the next model, the 485-horsepower Challenger R/T Scat Pack at $38,995. Buyers who choose the six-speed manual for this trim will pay a $1,000 gas guzzler tax. The V6-powered, 305-hp Challenger GT in two-wheel drive starts at $29,995. Sending power to all four of the GT's wheels needs $32,995 before destination. The base model, two-wheel drive SXT gets the Challenger doors open at $27,295, the all-wheel drive model costing $30,295. Related Video:

Dodge Charger Pursuit takes Tesla interior approach

A police car's computer is just as integral to its duties as a set of lights and sirens. The popular approach for these systems is to grab something like a Panasonic Toughbook laptop, add a big, bulky tray to hold it, and use this inelegant setup for running plates and doing all the other things a cop needs to do while on the road. The downside, besides simple aesthetics, is that this arrangement robs the officer's shotgun-riding partner from legroom. Dodge, though, has come up with a far more elegant and functional solution. Taking a page out of Tesla and Volvo's book, Dodge has replaced the five-inch UConnect display and laptop mount in the Charger Pursuit police car with an enormous 12.1-inch, portrait-format touchscreen display. Called, UConnect 12.1, the new system doesn't do away with the old fashioned computer outright. Instead it moves the bulky unit to the trunk, where it can connect to the display via an ethernet cable. This is good for multiple reasons. First, there are no pricey installation or upfitting charges, like there are for most laptop carriages. Secondly, the plug-and-play nature of the new UConnect system won't require the department to buy new laptops. And third, there's no need to retrain officers, since the only thing that's really changing is the input. While the Charger Pursuit will continue to offer redundant audio and HVAC controls, the 12.1-inch display can, at the press of a "button" split to display Fiat Chrysler's familiar 8.4-inch display. Make one more tap on the screen, and the police-issue laptop can be managed through the full touchscreen. The touchscreen will also display a menu bar at the top of the page, which can easily be edited by officers. All it takes is a simple drag and drop from the application menu to the top of the display. According to Dodge, the touchscreen will even play nice when its operator is wearing gloves. "As America's high-performance police vehicle, Dodge Charger Pursuit is going big for 2016, offering a massive, Uconnect touchscreen system that streamlines a law enforcement officer's computer system with our easy-to-use Uconnect system – on an all-new laptop-sized 12.1-inch touchscreen display," said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge and SRT's president and CEO.