This 1,500-HP Twin-Turbo LS Motor Is Almost Like Owning An SSC Tuatara

It’s no secret that the automotive world is currently in the throes of a power battle, with manufacturers constantly trying to flex their muscles. We’ve become so used to big numbers from cars such as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, which belts out up to 797 horsepower, and high-horsepower cars have never been more accessible, with a large number of street cats sporting over a thousand horses. To make it even easier to turn your Chevy Colorado into a quarter-mile savage, though, Nelson Racing Engines will sell you a turnkey 1,500-horsepower LS V8 engine. This is the very same company that produced a similar power plant that powered the SSC Tuatara in its controversial top-speed run late last year before it set a genuine record this year.

The 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine will set you back a hefty $28,999, but that is a small price to pay for record-setting power and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that it was built by LS experts. This engine features symmetric 76-millimeter turbochargers, and a staunch bottom end that has been strengthened with a billet four-inch crank, forged rods from Boostline, and forged JE pistons. A Moroso oil sump and high-pressure oil pump keep things lubed up. The top end has also seen some extensive modifications: the stock heads have been swapped out for a set of Dart Pro 1 pieces and features Inconel exhaust valves, Comp Cams shaft rockers, an aggressive hydraulic roller cam from NRE’s own design, and a set of GM racing roller lifters.

The billet aluminum intake manifold is mated to a 90mm drive-by-wire electronic throttle body, and the whole system is controlled by a Holley Terminator EFI. NRE promises a turnkey solution, which means you get a wiring harness included in the deal. Dumping one of these engines in your base model Challenger won’t guarantee you world-record top speeds or amazing quarter-mile times, but damn, 1,500 hp has never looked so good and has never been so accessible.

Or alternatively, you could go full lunatic and drop this into a willing MX-5 Miata, just to see what happens when the gates of hell are opened.