Crate engines are standalone engines you can buy from a manufacturer or tuning company and is an excellent way to revive older cars or boost the performance of any car. Many car owners from a sentimental attachment to their cars but there will always be a limit to how long a car can survive on its original parts. Crate engines are one of the only ways to breathe life back into an older car.

Crate engines are also perfect for adding additional performance to just about any car. Adding bolt-on turbo or superchargers is much more common because they’re cheaper but swapping out an engine designed for more performance often feels better and is much more reliable in the long run. If an owner is willing to put in the work, they can create a car that feels like a performance or supercar at a fraction of the price. Here are some of the most amazing crate engines you can buy and install right now.

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10 GM 5.7-Liter SP350 Or 357

Via: Chevrolet

This tried-and-true engine has been in service for decades. The GM engineers designed this engine as a modern update to the affordable and dependable 350 HO crate engine. At just $3,500 to $7,000 the cast-iron small-block engine puts out 357 HP and 407 lb-ft of torque and fits in most trucks and larger sedans.

Via: CorvSport

The SP357 is a pretty significant upgrade from the base SP350 with an included intake manifold, distributor, damper, and flexplate all included. It’s not the most advanced engine currently available but it’s bulletproof and a perfect replacement in any car an owner plans to own and run for a long time.

9 Honda Civic Type R Crate Motor

Via: Jalopnik

The Civic Type R crate motor is the smallest engine on this list by far with just four cylinders and 2 liters of displacement but there is still plenty of power. Essentially a racing engine, the Type R engine delivers 306 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque and because of its relatively small size, it can be installed in almost any car.

Ariel Atom 4 on the road
Top Gear

One of the fastest cars in the world use the Civic Type R engine, the Ariel Atom, which can hit 0-60 MPH in 2.8 seconds. Ariel specifically chose the Type R engine because of its efficiency and power to weight ratio. The use of the engine in a vehicle that is the epitome of lightweight speed, there is no greater endorsement of this engine.

8 Ford Ecoboost V6 Crate Engine

Via: Beefcake Racing

Ford has a lot of amazing crate engines for sale from what they call the Godzilla engines to their powerhouse big-block engines. But one of the most popular engine choices is the EcoBoost V6. This is the very same engine that is found in the current Ford Mustang and it produces the same 310 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque. Best of all, the engine only costs $6,550 directly from the Ford Performance website.

via Car & Driver

The website specifically mentions the engine is great for hot rods, street rods, and resto-mods but honestly this engine is great for any build due to its power and efficiency. Many owners have been installing this engine in older Mustangs because of how reliable and easy it is to install no matter what configuration their Mustang is in. If you don’t need the absolute most powerful engine and are looking for the perfect balance of efficiency and old school Ford muscle, this crate engine has it all.

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7 Chevrolet Performance 6.2-Liter LS3 V8

Chevrolet Performance LS3 V8 crate engine
Via: Chevrolet

Now we move into the more performance-oriented crate engines for owners that want some of the best performance out of their cars but don’t want to deal with the headache of possibly blowing an engine by adding an aftermarket turbo or supercharger. The Performance LS3 V8 is one of the most popular crate engines among tuning and drifting enthusiasts. The LS3 V8 makes 525 HP and 486 lb-ft of torque.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro on track
Via wikimedia.org

One of the biggest benefits is the fact that there are plenty of transmission hook-up options making this one of the easier engines to adapt into a build. The engine has been around for a while and is still very popular so naturally, GM engineers have made it easier than ever to install. There are plenty of installation guides, first-party support, and even retrofit wire harnesses. No wonder GM calls this engine the Chevrolet Connect & Cruise Powertrain System.

6 Chevrolet SP383 EFI

Via: Classic Chevrolet Performance

The SP383 EFI is truly a special engine that appeals to a lot of traditionalists. It may not sound pretty but it looks like a fusion of classic “stroker” engines and modern V8s. The small-block engine was created to celebrate 65 years of small block V8 engine development and it shows. The SP383 uses a modern fuel injection system but has an extra-long 3.8-inch cylinder stroke to generate loads of extra torque. The lightweight aluminum block outputs 450 HP and 436 lb-ft of torque.

Gray 1979 Chevrolet Nova
Via Drag Times

The classic look extends to the carburetor-style intake manifold and the throttle body is also classically mounted. We can go on and on about the Fast Burner-style cylinder heads and its high-performance roller camshaft but anyone tired of the messy look of modern engines will already know if they love the SP383 engine.

5 Ford Boss 302 Crate Engine

Via: Ford Performance

Ford’s EcoBoost V6 engine is great for most builds just looking to upgrade to a reliable and efficient engine but for projects that want the best, the Boss 302 block engines in Ford’s racing division are what you want. The Boss 302 engines and all are NASCAR inspired and are cast iron to withstand extreme conditions. According to Ford, the “BOSS block strength is far superior to any Ford OE block ever produced.”

Via: Hot Rod Network

As expected of Ford’s racing engine, it produces 415 HP and 400 lb-ft of torque at stock and can most likely be tuned for much more power. Ford boasts the Boss 302 is designed with the newest X2 performance cylinder heads and the E camshaft that can be used with both automatic and manual transmissions. Owners can do much worse than using Ford’s world-class racing engine.

4 Hellcat Crate Engine

Via: Motor Authority

Every enthusiast knows the beastly performance of a Challenger Hellcat but not everyone can justify having a dragstrip muscle car in their driveway. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have that power in a more practical car. The original 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 Hellcat engine can be bought for just $16,000. That is certainly a lot of money but that means any car that can fit the engine can have a blistering 707 HP and 650 lb-ft of torque.

Via: Motor1

There have been reports that people created the unholy monster of a Mustang with a Hellcat engine making it almost as powerful as the top-of-the-line track monster Shelby GT500 for a fraction of the cost. Other mad modders have added the engine to anything from Miatas to a Prius for insane builds.

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3 Edelbrock Supercharged 5.0-Liter Coyote Crate Engine

Via: American Muscle

We now enter the world of tuner crate engines. They take already excellent blocks from manufacturers and push them to their limits so modders and builders don’t have to spend time and money tuning every horsepower out of an engine. They can just plug and play for ultimate performance.

Via: Engine Swap Depot

This supercharged 5.0-Liter Coyote crate engine originally from Ford and tuned by aftermarket performance company Edelbrock is a perfect example of high-performance plug and play. Normally, the naturally aspirated Ford Coyote engine makes 460 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque but Edelbrock squeezes an impressive 785 HP and 660 lb-ft of torque out of the aluminum block. Edelbrock didn’t just slap on their supercharger and call it a day, they beefed up the intercooler, fuel injectors, and all-new heat exchangers. With the full backing of an established company, this engine will be far more reliable than your local body shop.

2 Mopar Hellephant Crate Engine ($29,995)

The Mopar brand is stampeding into the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with a brand-new HEMI®-engine-powered beast: the “Hellephant” 426 Supercharged Mopar Crate HEMI Engine, which turns the crank at a mammoth 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb.-ft. of torque.
via FCA

If you thought the Hellcat Engine was the peak of performance the Mopar Hellephant engine makes a stock Hellcat look like a Prius. Mopar (the parts and services division of Chrysler) combined the naturally aspirated 426 Hemi V8 engine design from the 1960s lovingly called the “Elephant” engine and the much more advanced Hellcat engine. The Hellephant is a mighty engine with 1,000 hp and 950 lb-ft of torque.

Mopar wasn’t playing around when it increased the displacement from 6.2-liters to 7-liters and added a 3-liter supercharger. They also ditched iron and made the whole thing from aluminum to save weight. A lot of parts are borrowed from the Dodge Challenger Demon but not even the 840 hp Demon V8 can compare to this beast. Mopar also boasts the Hellephant engine is essentially a plug and play engine for experienced gearheads as the engine kit includes everything you’d need for an installation. All that for $30,000 is actually an unbelievable steal, any car that can fit the massive engine will produce as much power as a hypercar.

1 Katech 6.36-liter LT5 V8

Via: Muscle Cars and Trucks

Here is the king of the crate engines, the most powerful plug and play engine an enthusiast can stick in a car to come up with some truly terrifying builds. Katech started with a Chevrolet supercharged 6.2-liter LT5 crate engine that is also used in the C7 Corvette ZR1 and managed to get a whopping 1,159 hp and 1,063 lb-ft of torque out of it. To get there, Katech had to increase displacement and compression and fit upgraded pistons, valves, and a powerful supercharger.

Via: Supercars.net

The outrageous engine was announced in mid-2020 but Katech hasn’t officially listed the engine for sale just yet which means we also won’t know official pricing yet. The original LT5 engine costs just under $20,000 which means this beefed-up engine will probably cost significantly more. What we do know is despite all the modifications, the Katech engine doesn’t look much bigger than the original which means it still fairly compact. It would be reasonable to assume enthusiasts can install this engine even in something as small as a Miata, though the frame and powertrain likely wouldn’t be able to handle that much power. If Katech’s other crate engines are any indication, the new LT5 will be easy for experienced mechanics to install, we’re excited to see what kind of beasts are created and unleashed when this engine finally starts shipping.

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