A New, Big Hemi Could Debut at SEMA

Based on the few hints in a new teaser video, Mopar may be rolling out a new 426-cubic inch Hemi.

Earlier this morning, the Mopar YouTube channel published a new video teasing its big news at next week’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas. There are no real details accompanying the short clip, but based on the information provided, it sounds like a new Hemi crate engine might debut at SEMA, and it might measure 426 cubic inches.

The video is titled “Something Big is Coming” and it includes the following details:

“On October 30, all will be revealed. Be sure to check cratehemi.com for more details on our next game changer.”

In the video, we see a set of paw prints burned into the pavement, followed by bigger feet stomping down on the cat’s feet, extinguishing the fire and leaving deeper, more prominent impressions in the ground. These feet are much bigger than the cat’s paws, with no claws and no digits along with enough mass to smash pavement. They look like elephant feet to us.

As the camera pans out, a second generation Dodge Charger creeps into frame with the heathy grumble of a V8 engine with a lumpy camshaft and open exhaust. As the engine roars, smoke floats in from off-screen as the classic Mopar muscle car cleans off the tires.

It would seem that Mopar is rolling out a 426-cubic-inch Hemi crate engine, but the performance catalog already has a classic 426 Hemi. However, the details direct us to Mopar’s crate engine website, all but guaranteeing that this is a crate engine announcement.

The video ends with the title emblazoned across the screen, leaving us wanting more and wondering what Mopar has planned for SEMA.

Elephant Engine

If you are a longtime Mopar fan, you know that the original 426-cubic inch Hemi from the 1960s and early 1970s was called the “elephant engine.” If the feet that stomp on the cat’s feet are indeed from an elephant, it would seem that Mopar is rolling out a 426-cubic-inch Hemi crate engine, but the performance catalog already has a classic 426 Hemi crate engine. However, the brief details direct us to Mopar’s crate engine website, all-but-guaranteeing that this is a crate engine announcement.

Perhaps Mopar is releasing a new 426 Hemi crate engine, which would certainly make sense under the hood of a second generation Dodge Charger. What will make it different from the 426-cubic-inch engines already in the Mopar catalog? With the elephant feet crushing the flaming cat’s feet, it seems to suggest that this new engine would stomp out the Hellcat, but the current 426 engines are well-short of the Hellcat’s 700-horsepower output. Mopar might be introducing a 426-cubic inch Hemi with more power than the Hellcat engine, but we will have to wait for the grand debut next week for more information.

In the meantime, crank up your speakers and enjoy the roar of what is likely the next incredible crate engine from Mopar.

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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

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