Swapping stock engines out for more exciting ones has been a long-standing form of entertainment among tuners and restorers alike, but we aren’t aware of anyone putting a supercharged Hellcat V8 under the hood of the Dodge Viper. As Throtl clearly proves with its recent video, this is thoroughly possible – if challenging.
The donor vehicle is a 2001 Dodge Viper with a V10 engine making 456 PS (450 hp / 336 kW), a manual transmission and a rear-wheel drive system. The team purchased a Hellcat Redeye V8 in a crate for the project (it literally came in a crate) and also a T56 transmission to go with it. The new mill should be quite exciting to try out with its 818 PS (807 hp / 602 kW) and 971 Nm (716 lb-ft) of torque.
In the video, the team tears down the entire front end of the Viper until it is no longer recognizable as such to get to the drivetrain. It is apparently quite an ordeal, since the OEM components are tightly packed inside and difficult to disengage from their mounts even with so much of the car disassembled. Still, in the end, they are successful and proceed to slot in the engine.
The finished Viper is scheduled to debut at a special event in the United States on August 13, where it is expected to be the star of the evening and take part in a race held among Dodge owners.