There’s something ridiculous and wonderful about mixing together things that have no business being together, especially when considering automobiles. As a perfect example, just check out Abimelec Design’s rendering imagining a Hellcat-powered Chrysler Pacifica.
To make the minivan look properly mean after its engine swap, Abimelec adds a big scoop to the hood to make sure the supercharger can feed on plenty of cool air. The grille gains a small inlet at the bottom, like on the Jeep Cherokee Trackhawk. There are larger fog lamps and a bigger opening in the front fascia. The splitter is more prominent, too.
Beyond the front end overhaul, the ride height is a lot lower than a normal Pacifica. A set of massive wheels make sure there’s plenty of grip to harness the Hellcat’s power. Wider fenders complete the look.
With enough money, anything is possible, but building a Hellcat-powered Pacifica would be a serious challenge to build. Just fitting the engine into the bay would be a major engineering conundrum, without even considering handling cooling. You’d also need to make room for a driveshaft underneath the van for sending the power to the rear wheels.
Mopar offers its supercharged V8 in multiple forms as a crate engine. Even the standard Hellcrate has a prodigious 707 horsepower (527 kilowatts). The next step up is the 807-hp (602-kW) Hellcrate Redeye. While no longer available, the Hellephant pumped out 1,000 hp (746 kW) and 950 pound-feet (1,288 Newton-meters) of torque.
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Doing ludicrous things with a minivan has a precedent. At the 1994 Paris Motor Show, Renault debuted the Espace F1 (above). It featured a mid-mounted 3.5-liter V10 out of a 1993 Williams-Renault FW15C Formula 1 car. The mill pumped out 820 hp (612 kW) through a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox. This was enough to hit 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 194 mph (312.2 kph). While the vehicle looked like the French brand’s minivan, the body and chassis were carbon fiber, but the hood, tailgate, roof panel, and glass carried over from the production vehicle.
