Stellantis unveiled six Hemi V8 crate engine packages at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and each one ships with a matching controller kit. Sales do not begin until the first quarter of 2027, and pricing has not been announced, so the turnkey Hemi is a promise for next year rather than something a garage builder can order tonight.
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The packages carry the Direct Connection name, the performance-parts arm that Stellantis runs under its Mopar umbrella. Output ranges from 385 to 1,025 horsepower, with flex-fuel capability, and Stellantis says every package is backed by a three-year, 100,000-mile warranty, which is what separates the lineup from a pile of loose parts bought one at a time.
The company’s SEMA press release quotes Tim Kuniskis, who heads American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection, calling the approach “one part, one solution.” In his framing, the engine, wiring and controller are engineered as a single system so the builder does not have to match components on his own. Carscoops covered the debut in its Nov. 5 report, and its author, Brad Anderson, listed the six packages in detail.
Six Hemi packages from 385 to 1,025 horsepower
At the top sits the Hellephant Super Stock, a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 rated up to 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb-ft of torque on E85, with a 3.0-liter supercharger, a 105 mm throttle body, upgraded pistons and forged steel rods and crank. Below it the Hellcrate Redeye makes 885 horsepower and 787 lb-ft from a 2.7-liter twin-screw supercharger on a cast-iron block, sharing the Hellephant’s wiring and powertrain control module.
Four naturally aspirated packages round out the range. The naturally aspirated engines are the likeliest entry point for a first-time swap, since they avoid the cooling and fuel demands of a supercharger. The 5.7-liter Street Strip and Super Stock engines make 385 horsepower and 417 lb-ft, while the 6.4-liter versions make 485 horsepower and 475 lb-ft. The Super Stock editions add Redeye valve springs, an SRT Hellcat oil pump and an SRT oil cooler, upgrades that suit harder use than the base Street Strip builds.
Controller kits for a swap that used to need guesswork
The controller kit is the practical hook for a do-it-yourself builder. Carscoops says the Hellephant package includes engine wiring, oxygen sensors, the powertrain control module and accelerator pedal, and for automatics the shifter and brake-press switch. A swap into an older car has traditionally meant sourcing and tuning each of those pieces separately, with the wiring harness often the slowest part.
Controllers matter more than they used to, because modern Hemi engines depend on electronic throttle, variable cam timing and multiple sensors. Transmission pairings are covered too. Direct Connection offers the packages with the TorqueFlite 8HP90 automatic, and buyers who prefer a manual can order a Tremec gearbox. The company showed the lineup in a restored 1967 Plymouth GTX fitted with a Hellcrate Redeye package and the eight-speed automatic, a car that illustrates the kind of project the packages are aimed at.
Warranty terms and a track record of earlier crates
Direct Connection has sold Hemi crates before. In November 2025 its relaunch release priced the 1,000-horsepower Hellephant A30 at $34,995 and quoted Chad Seymour, head of Direct Connection crate engines: “The desire for HEMI engine power is stronger than ever.” That release said the products were backed by a Mopar warranty without giving the terms. The 2026 announcement is the first in this series to name a three-year, 100,000-mile term, though no installer conditions are stated.
The installer question matters because Mopar has attached conditions elsewhere. The Drive reported in August that the supercharger packages for the 2027 Ram Rumble Bee leave the factory powertrain warranty intact only if a Mopar-certified technician installs them, and the company’s other SEMA announcement repeats that condition for a Whipple kit, requiring an ASE-certified Level 3 technician. Whether the crate engines carry a similar requirement is unstated. For a builder planning a swap at home, the difference between a warranty that follows the engine and one that follows a certified installer could decide whether the package is worth buying at all, and neither source settles it.
Pricing is the other open question. Without a figure, the real cost of a complete Hemi swap, including wiring, controller and transmission, cannot be compared with a used engine and aftermarket parts. Direct Connection has until the first quarter of 2027 to put numbers on the six packages, and the earlier Hellephant price of $34,995 is the only benchmark builders have. The 2025 Hellephant was a race-only or pre-1976 vehicle engine that needed a separately sold kit, so the new controller-inclusive packages appear aimed at a broader group of project cars, though Stellantis has not said which vehicles qualify for street use. Emissions rules will decide much of that, and the company has not addressed them in anything reviewed.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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