Earlier this spring, we shared with you the incredible budget buildup of a monster HEMI powerplant being created by noted Mopar aficionado “Hemi Fred” Ristagno from Sewell, New Jersey. This 3,000 horsepower beast was recently dropped between the frame rails of Ristagnos’ Plymouth Road Runner Pro Street car, and the all-flat black engine makes this ride look truly sinister. It’s doubtful that even Ristagno knows what’s going to happen the first time he dumps the clutch on this thing, but rest assured, it’s going to be exciting. At the 2001 World Street Nationals, Fred grabbed the final spot in the Pro Street field with the car, sporting a small block with a single turbo, at 7.67 seconds.

The new 450 cubic inch HEMI produced an astounding 2,047 horsepower and 1,795 ft-lbs of torque at a relatively low 30 pounds of boost, with numbers in the neighborhood of 3,000 horses with the wick turned up to 40-plus pounds from the twin 92mm Precision Pro mod turbochargers. The motor is based upon a .550 short deck Keith Black block with 4.40-inch bore spacing, with a 3.625-inch stroke Crower crank, high dome pistons, a Keith Black oil pan, 500-pound Mike Moran injectors, a Hilborn fuel pump, a set of home made headers, and 16-bolt cast water cylinder heads, all topped with a just plain cool looking shoebox intake manifold.

Monster motors like this typically cost a pretty penny, but Ristagno, through some ingenious wheeling and dealing through eBay and other sources, put the final price tag on this thing atwell under $15,000, utilizing $25 pistons, a $200 crankshaft, a $250 Donovan gear drive, and other used but solid components. The power will be backed by a Lenco transmission and a Crower clutch.

Twin Turbo Hemi Dyno Run, 2047 HP, 1795 Torque

“We don’t have plans for any class racing at all. The idea was to slap it together with a Jr. Dragster type budget and have some fun on test and tune days. In that department we have done an exellent job. The only new parts in the motor are the rings and bearings – everything else is used. The Crower clutch is the only new item in the drive line. In fact, those are the only new parts in the entire car,” said Ristagno.

On an earlier run on the engine dyno, Ristagnos’ big HEMI backfired and actually blew the intake manifold apart, also breaking the U-joint that connects the crank to the dyno brake in the process due to the excessive amount of horsepower and torque exerted on it.