When Mopar announced a 1000-horsepower crate engine dubbed the Hellephant, it was difficult to conceal our dissatisfaction. Of course, a four-digit horsepower number right out of the box sounds fantastic, but it was difficult not to suspect that the company had called just a little short of the perfect Goldilocks figure in this case. A new engine with 1,004 horsepower has been announced by Chevrolet, which is good news because the company believes in it as well.
The latest big-block crate motor from General Motors produces 1004 horsepower and 876 pound-feet of torque when running on regular gasoline. The ZZ632/1000 accomplishes this without the use of a turbocharger or supercharger, instead relying on displacement alone. This car has plenty of power; the 632-cubic-inch engine is massive, with a 10-liter capacity that outclasses even monsters like the Bugatti Chiron and Dodge Viper in terms of performance.
That is far more than any road vehicle could ever require. This, on the other hand, is a racing machine. According to Chevy, the massive iron-block engine has survived more than 200 simulated drag races on the dyno with no issues whatsoever. We have no idea what kind of power it could produce with forced induction, but it would be difficult to find a blower that would fit in the space available.
The ZZ632/1000 will be available for purchase in early 2022 if you can get by with just 1004 horsepower. However, the ZZ572/620, with which it shares an engine block mold and produces 621 horsepower, sells for $16,304.82. Pricing has not been announced. Expect this to come in slightly higher than that figure.