When Bugatti first announced that it would equip the original Veyron with a 1,000-horsepower engine straight from the factory, the world stood still. It was a watershed moment for the car industry, a point in time where even the most uninterested of the automotive laymen were forced to take notice of what was happening.

In the nearly 15 years since the Veyron first hit production, the bar has consistently been raised, and now internal combustion is taking on ever-greater levels of performance. FCA just proved as much, with Mopar now offering the first-ever 1,000-horsepower crate engine from an OEM. If you think about it, four-figures right out the box is insane, but that’s the world we live in now. But the question is - how’d we get here, and where are we going?

It All Started With The Veyron

Note: original Bugatti Veyron pictured here.


Following a series of concept models revealed throughout the late ‘90s, Bugatti officially unleashed the production-ready Veyron in 2005. Named after a famous Bugatti racing driver that took victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1939, the Veyron was a masterful technical achievement, with the most impressive bit taking residence just behind the cabin space.

That’s where you’ll find the Veyron’s midship powerplant, which consists of an 8.0-liter W-16 engine boosted by a total of four turbochargers. Output comes to an astonishing 1,001 horsepower and 922 pound-feet of torque, which routed to the ground by way of dual-clutch seven-speed automatic transmission and permanent high-performance AWD system. Properly motivated, the Veyron could sprint to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and achieve a top speed of 253 mph.

All impressive numbers, even by modern standards, but it’s important to look at these figures from the perspective of 2005.

Note: original Bugatti Veyron pictured here.


And not just in terms of speed, either. Indeed, the Veyron wasn’t some stripped-down race car that could barely hold an idle. You really could long-distance the thing, provided you had enough cash on hand to pay for the fuel. It was absurdly quiet and comfortable to drive around town, even with four-digits available with a stab of the right foot.

Pricing for the Veyron was also astronomical for its day. The tires, for example, cost $25,000 a set, but were necessary to withstand the huge strain created at the Veyron’s extreme top end. Replacing the Veyron’s complicated transmission would run $120,000, but again, with the forces at play, such extreme figures became a necessity. Then there’s the bottom line - when new, the Veyron came with a price tag of $1.23 million. These days, a used Veyron will still run about that at auction.

Without a doubt, the Veyron left an indelible impact on the world, opening the door for other manufacturers to explore what was possible in a high-end passenger vehicle.

Despite rising concerns over emissions and global warming, the desire for extravagant, absurdly fast supercars grew. Soon, the term “hypercar” came to the fore, denoting the next-generation of top-shelf speed.

As the rich became richer, demand for this new breed of hypercar exploded, and the industry responded accordingly.

2006 Bugatti Veyron specifications

Engine

8.0 litre W16

Horsepower

1001 HP @ 6,000 RPM

Torque

922 LB-FT @ 2,200 RPM

Redline

6,500 RPM

Transmission

7-spd auto-shift man w/OD

Top Speed

253 mph

0 to 60 mph

2.7 seconds


Where Are We Now?

Note: Koenigsegg Regera pictured here.


These days, when it comes to the battle for superlative speed, there’s all manner of nuclear-powered hypercars jockeying for position, with both the big names and boutique automakers joining the fray.

Some of the biggest standouts include the Koenigsegg Regera, the Hennessey Venom F5, and the Zenvo TS1 GT.

Then there are models like the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder, and McLaren P1, all three of which slot in just below the four-digit horsepower mark.

And of course, you can’t forget the Veyron’s successor, the Bugatti Chiron, plus the Chiron’s more hardcore variant, the Divo.

Like the Veyron, all of these fresh-faced hypercars mix equal parts speed, expense, and street-worthy drivability, with varying success in each area.

Note: Ferrari LeFerrari engine pictured here.


Many of the latest hypercars employ hybrid powertrain components developed in motorsport to add even more power to the equation. The electric bits also help with civility on the street, padding peaky torque curves with motor-driven low-end grunt, and as an added bonus, coaxing a few extra mpg from the fire-breathing internal combustion units.

Note: Hellephant crate engine here.


Indeed, the Mopar monster could very well be seen as an offshoot of the latest developments in the hypercar world. With the “cat out of bag” with regards to demand for astronomical horsepower levels, four-figure powerplants are now making their way down the pricing pyramid, most notably with the new generation of super muscle cars.

Engine Type

Third-Gen HEMI V-8

Displacement

7.0-Liters, 426 cubic-inches

Composition

all-aluminum block, Forged Aluminum Pistons, Steel Connecting Rods, Forged Steel Crank, Nodular Iron Camshaft

Horsepower

1000 hp

Torque

950 lb-ft

Bore and Stroke

4.125 x 4.00 Inches

Compression Ratio

9.5:1

Valve/Lift Duration

Intake: 15.9766 mm – 286 deg \ Exhaust: 16.0528 mm – 301 Deg

Intake Valve Size

54.3 mm

Exhaust Valve Size

42 mm

Peak RPM

6,200


This trend started with the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Released in 2014 as the world’s most powerful muscle car (and for that matter, a stout competitor for the fastest of the fast in any segment), the Hellcat’s 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 once again shifted what was considered possible in a passenger vehicle.

Like the Veyron, the Hellcat is rife with amazing specs. Sixty mph arrives in just 3.6 seconds, while top speed is just shy of 200 mph. Throw on some drag radials, and you’ll crack the 10-second barrier in the quarter mile.

Note: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat pictured here.


Suddenly, “Hellcat all the things” was the rallying cry, with the previously mentioned 6.2-liter V-8 finding its way into the Dodge Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee. As a follow up, FCA decided to one-up itself once again with the ludicrous 840-horsepower Demon, followed by the release of the Hellcat’s powerplant as a stand-alone crate engine, otherwise known as the Hellcrate.

The natural evolution of all this is the Hellephant, the first-ever 1,000-horsepower crate engine to come from an OEM.

The fact that FCA is now offering the Hellephant is proof positive that we are now in a new era of automotive performance. One-thousand horsepower has become the new benchmark.

Drink it in.

The Future Of Horsepower

Note: 2020 Tesla Roadster 2.0 pictured here.


So that’s where we’re at, but where are we headed?

Really, the only direction to go from here is up, because while 1,000 horses is indeed positively nutty, the horsepower wars rage on. As a result, the push for ever-higher levels of output is changing the way we perceive what’s considered “fast” and “powerful.”

One clear indicator of all this is the way in which we measure output. After all, at a certain point, “horsepower” becomes a bit absurd when dealing with forces so completely outside the realm of what’s possible with that eponymous beast of burden. As a response, some automakers are opting to measure output in “megawatts,” with one megawatt equating to 1,341 mechanical horsepower.

You see this frequently with high-performance electric vehicles, which seem poised to carve a new niche in this space all their own. Some of the most prominent examples include the Rimac C_Two and NextEV Nio EP2.

Note: 2020 Tesla Roadster 2.0 pictured here.


Another good example would be the upcoming Tesla Roadster 2.0, which the California automaker claims to offer as much as 10,000 Nm (7,376 pound-feet) of torque thanks to its trio of electric motors and 200-kWh battery pack. Tesla also says the new Roadster will complete the run to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds, with the run to 100 mph taking 4.2 seconds, the quarter mile done in 8.9 seconds, and top speed peaking at over 250 mph. And that’s just for the base model!

Tesla Roadster 2.0 Performance

0-to-60 mph

1.9 seconds

0-to-100 mph

4.2 seconds

Quarter mile

8.9 seconds

Top speed

250+ mph

Range per charge

620 miles

Battery pack

200 kWh

Electric motors

3 (one in front, two in rear)

Torque

10,000 Nm


Granted, the new Tesla Roadster has yet to hit production, but if these figures turn out to be accurate (and Tesla is known for keeping its promises in terms of speed and power), it would be yet another major turning point for passenger vehicle performance.

Looking even further into the future, many enthusiasts are left wondering - will vehicle performance become a thing of the past when the world is occupied by hordes of all-electric self-driving transportation bubbles?

While it’s impossible to know for sure, I’m gonna venture a guess - absolutely not. People will still want the thrill of laying into the loud pedal, the sensation of speed, all of that good stuff. That’s not gonna change just because autonomous drive systems are the norm. As long as there are enthusiasts, fast cars will be a thing, and by the look of it, performance will be cheap and plentiful.

So fear not, my fellow car lovers, and enjoy the ride as we enter this new era.

Further Reading

All About The Hellephant Crate Engine and Why You Should Care

Read our full review on the 1968 Dodge Super Charger Concept.

Read our full review on the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.

Read our full review on the 2006 Bugatti Veyron.

Read our full review on the 2017 Koenigsegg Regera.

Read our full review on the 2020 Tesla Roadster 2.0.