Hellephant-Powered 1968 Dodge Charger is a 1000hp Masterpiece

Dodge Charger factory appearance has been coupled with loads of modern performance.

Back in 2018, Mopar introduced the Hellephant Hemi crate engine in a classic second generation Dodge Charger that they called the Super Charger. Limited to just 100 units, the Hellephant Hemi crate engine sold out in a hurry, but it took more than a year for the company to actually get them to customers. Fortunately, once the Hellephant engines began reaching buyers, the 1,000-horsepower Hemi was installed in many cool, custom performance machines.

One classic car that is powered by the Hellephant is the 1968 Dodge Charger shown here, known as Dummbo. It is owned by a guy named David and in the video below from the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel, we get a good look at this supercharged classic Mopar muscle car up close and on the road.

The ‘Dummbo’ Charger

As mentioned above, this 1968 Dodge Charger is owned by a gentleman named David. When he bought the car, it was wrapped grey, but it was red under the vinyl wrap and it was powered by a factory 383 big block. It looked like a pretty nice car, but it underwent an extensive frame-off restoration which transformed it from a nicer driver to a showstopping monster muscle car.

In terms of appearance, this 1968 Charger was restored to nearly the original look, except all of the chrome was replaced with black trim, and bumpers were flush-mounted to the body and the whole exterior was painted a similar color to Dodge’s current Destroyer Gray. The owner points out that this paint is a bit lighter, with more of a blue tint. The custom Hellephant badges and decals are Daytona Blue, as are the brake calipers and some interior accents.

Of course, the heart of this car is the 426-cubic inch Hellephant Hemi crate engine, delivering 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. That power is sent towards the 335 millimeter wide Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires by means of a T-56 6-speed manual transmission while a Magnum Force suspension setup helps put the power to the ground. Helping keep this beautiful machine under control is four-wheel Wildwood braking system and a modern rack-and-pinion power steering setup.

On the inside, this 1968 Dodge Charger has the factory seats, but they are wrapped in premium Italian leather. The dashboard also has a stock look, but modern gauges are nestled into the stock cluster layout for a very clean look and, of course, the manual transmission is controlled by a Hurst pistol grip shifter.

Hellephant on the Road

After giving us a through walkaround of the 1968 Dodge Charger, the owner rides shotgun while the video host drives. His first comment is “wow”, which he repeats throughout the on-road portion of the video. He points out that it is “a lot of car”, but that “it feels really planted on the road”. He makes a few lower speed pulls, allowing him to feel some of the power while we get to enjoy the roar of the supercharged Hemi.

Towards the end of the video, the owner gets behind the wheel for some harder pulls and a few quick, smokey burnouts – all of which make it clear that this show quality muscle car is surely a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

Join the Dodge Forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter