The wait for Dodge’s latest crate engines is over now that Mopar is releasing the “Hurricrate” series, which comprises two different versions of the same engine based on the Hurricane inline-six. The new crate engines put modern twin-turbo power under the hood of whatever machine you can dream of, or whatever engine bay will fit the drop-in Hurricane, leading us to ask: What car would you stuff the new Hurricrate engine in?
The crate engines will be available starting this August, either as the Hurricrate Cat 1 or Cat 3. The Hurricrate Cat 1 is the “entry-level” engine according to Mopar Insiders, but it’s still a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six making 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque at 2,500 rpm. The turbos deliver up to 22 psi of peak boost, and the engine has a compression ratio of 10.4:1. It’ll cost $10,495 from Mopar’s Direct Connection or at dealers.
The Hurricrate Cat 3 is also a 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six, but it gets upgraded twin Garrett turbochargers, among other things, to make a total of 550 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. The Garrett twin turbos deliver 26 psi of peak boost and the engine’s compression ratio drops to 9.5:1, but Mopar still recommends pumping premium fuel. The more powerful version of the Hurricane crate engine will start at $13,745.
There will be yet another more powerful version of the Hurricrate available later, meant to be used for drag racing builds and other “high-performance” applications, but the specs of that motor are still unknown. Whether it’s a drag, drift, or gnarly restomod, the Hurricrate brings Dodge’s latest engine to your project.
As for what my Hurricrate project would be, there’s only one choice, and that’s a Plymouth Neon. I don’t know if it’s possible, but humor me and just imagine a two-door Neon notchback making over 500 horsepower—a homebrew evolution to the Neon ACR. Tell us in the comments below if you’d be brave (or fly) enough to harness that power, and tell us what car would be your first pick for the Hurricane crate engine.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com