Hellcat-Swapping a Side-by-Side Can Only End Poorly

SXSBlog made a Demon-swapped side-by-side for the express purpose of doing burnouts and it's as unhinged as you think.
SXSBlog

There’s a certain universality to the desire of putting the biggest, most powerful engine into the smallest, lightest object. We all wonder, “Well, what would a motorcycle be like with 1,000 horsepower?” Or maybe that’s just me and my kindred spirits at SXSBlog who put an 800-hp Dodge Demon crate engine into a side-by-side.

These folks have been responsible for a number of side-by-side builds that have been completely divorced from reality. And the Demon-swapped one isn’t even the craziest; that goes to the 1,000-hp drag-spec side-by-side they built last year that used a Toyota 2JZ engine for motivation. While that build was specifically to go fast, the Demon-swapped build is designed solely to do burnouts.

It’s an exercise in cognitive dissonance. The exterior looks mostly like a normal CF-Moto 1000XL but hidden underneath is complete lunacy. Stock Ford Mustang wheels give the secret away to the astute, but underneath the liftable utility bed is an 800-horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged V8 from a Dodge Demon. It’s shoehorned in every sense of the word, with the rear seats hosting most of the engine, while a Powerglide gearbox hides just behind the engine. Through a short driveshaft, the power gets twisted into an S550 Mustang rear subframe complete with control arms, axles, and rear differential. 

A lot of custom fabrication made the swap possible, with a custom gear linkage made up to connect the Powerglide to the stock shifter location with 3D-printed gates to match. A rear-mounted radiator keeps things under control, while a front-mounted oil cooler keeps the oil temperature in check. The shifter is specifically designed to be shifted between first and second quickly to control wheel speed during a burnout. The machine will do an estimated 170 mph rear wheel speed during a burnout, which is tire-popping territory.

The build is freshly running but hasn’t turned a wheel in anger yet. So while it sounds cool and is louder than fear, there are steps yet to be completed. But at this stage, a commendation is in order: This is one of the craziest things on four wheels.

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Chris Rosales

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Chris Rosales is a former staff writer for The Drive. He covers a myriad of topics, mostly focused on the technical side of automobiles as well as performance driving and automotive history. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he frequents the Southern California canyons and car culture.