Meet the ‘HelleHawk,’ a Trackhawk-packing, Modded Hellephant

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will yield around 1,200 horsepower when the build is complete.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is one of the world’s most powerful SUVs, packing 707 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque in stock form. For most people, that is more than enough power, but for those Jeep owners who need even more power, there are plenty of performance parts and tuning shops that can make the Trackhawk a whole lot quicker. One of those shops is SRT Autoworks in Arizona, but with the Trackhawk that the team is currently building, they went a different route.

Rather than modifying the 6.2-liter Hemi that comes from the factory, that mill has been removed and in its place, a 7.0-liter Hellephant Hemi crate engine from Mopar has been installed. The Hellephant made big news when it was introduced as the first 1,000-horsepower Hemi crate engine and it sold out quickly. Fortunately, the crew at SRT Autoworks got ahold of one and they are installing it in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Before doing so, they added some upgrades, so the Hellephant will make more than 1,000 horsepower.

Trackhawk Becomes the HelleHawk

In standard form, the Hellephant Hemi comes from Mopar with 1,000 horsepower thanks to 426 cubic inches (or 7 liters, if you prefer) of Hemi topped by a 3-liter IHI supercharger. For comparison, the original Hellcat measures 6.2 liters with a 2.4-liter IHI supercharger while the Demon and Redeye models also have 6.2-liter blocks with 2.7-liter superchargers. The Hellephant has a bigger engine and a bigger blower, along with an array of other items needed to make a thousand horsepower at the crankshaft.

The Hellephant powering the HelleHawk has been upgraded with SRT an Autoworks/Griptec upper pulley, ID1700 fuel injectors, a Legmaker carbon fiber intake, Kooks long tube headers, Meisterschaft exhaust, FI blower spacers and thermal blanket, SRT Autoworks billet oil catch can and a 180 degree thermostat. The system runs on an E85 ethanol-gasoline blend and with help from the modern Mopar experts at Barth Tuning, this engine is expected to make somewhere around 1,200 horsepower.

We will know how much wheel horsepower it makes once the build reaches the dyno testing phase of the project. Right now, the engine is in the Jeep and it has been fired up for the first time, with the shop working on the initial tuning stages.

Beautiful Imagery

When we spoke to Tommy Peters, owner of SRT Autoworks, he sent over these stunning images from Joshua Rezende of Black Tire Media. For now, it means that we get some cool pre-install pictures, but Peters plans to have great video footage of the project when it is complete. Peters does a great job of featuring builds online, including his monster Hellcat Charger, so the final video showcasing the HelleHawk should be fantastic.

Even if there were only cell phone pictures of a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with a modified Hellephant Hemi crate engine from Mopar, the community would drool over them, but with even more power, we can’t wait to see this beast in action. For now, check out the video below of the HelleHawk running for the first time.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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