Mopar's EV-Swapped GTX SEMA Car Finally Gets The Hellcat It Deserves

Remember when electromods were all the rage at SEMA? If you do, you might recall that Stellantis revealed a classic 1967 Plymouth GTX muscle car at the 2024 show, whose V8 heart had been swapped for an electric powertrain. Turns out the guy who sold Stellantis the car was less than impressed, so this year the brand righted that wrong with a Hellcrate apology.

"We heard him, so this year we fixed it," Stellantis American brands boss, and confirmed V8 flag flier, Tim Kuniskis said. "We put a supercharged Hemi back under the hood, and I have a feeling he's going to like this version a whole lot better."

The GTX arrived for 1967 as Plymouth's rival to the Pontiac GTO that had been raising hell, and ton of cash, for GM since 1964. It looked pretty low key, hailing from a time before bright colors, bold graphics and fledgling spoilers began to dominate the muscle car scene. But there's nothing meek about this SEMA GTX. It's finished in Frostbite Blue metallic and rides on 18-inch BTG Vintage Bronze forged magnesium wheels, just as it did at SEMA two years ago. But now the hood features twin silver racing stripes, and has a scoop that looks like it could suck birds right out of the sky.

Air rushing into that scoop feeds a Hellcrate Redeye 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi crate engine package, one of the powertrain options Stellantis announced at this year's event. It makes 885 hp (897 PS) and up to 787 lb ft (1,067 Nm) of torque in high octane mode, and drives the rear wheels via a TorqueFlite 8HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission. That compares with a feeble 335 hp (340 PS) for the old SEMA '24 EV setup.

The GTX was no slouch when new. The base engine was a massive 440 cu in (7.2-liter) Super Commando V8 that thumped out 375 gross horsepower (380 PS), and a fat 480 lb-ft (651 Nm) of torque. And the legendary 426 cu in (7.0-liter) Hemi and its 425 hp (431 PS) and 490 lb-ft (664 Nm), was ready and waiting on the option sheet for street racers who were committed to their craft.

In November 1966, Car and Driver took a 440 — with skinny bias-ply tires and a three-speed automatic — to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds. And the Hemi was faster still. But both would have their work cut out against a restomod packing one of the six Stellantis crate V8s. You've been able to buy modern Hemi crate engines for a while, but this year, Stellantis has bundled them in with a matching engine controller creating simple turnkey solutions for shops and DIYers to put a Hemi, or supercharged Hellcat V8, in their builds.

"Our philosophy is simple: one part, one solution," Kuniskis said at SEMA. "If you're going to build something serious, you shouldn't have to guess whether all the pieces are going to work together."

The new Stellantis crate options start with a base 345 Street Strip package that displaces 345 cubes (5.7-liter) and makes 385 hp (390 PS) and 417 lb-ft (565 Nm). A gutsier 392 cu in (6.4-liter) version ups the ante to 485 hp (492 PS) and 475 lb-ft (644 Nm), and after that you're into supercharged territory. King of the crates is the 376 cu in (6.2-liter) Hellephant Super Stock, which generates a monstrous 1,025 hp (1,039 PS) and 945 lb-ft (1,281 Nm). So how brave are you feeling?