572CI ALLOY HEMI

> PRO RACE ENGINES, NOBLE PARK, VICTORIA

A six-packed, 700hp pump-fuel Mopar mill built for regular and reliable street use

IF THE Transformers’ Optimus Prime chose to morph into a tough-arsed street engine, I reckon you’d be looking at it. Sure, ol’ Optimus needs the wholesome business end you’d expect from 572 cubes of Chrysler Hemi, but he’s a robot who also loves a splash of bling, and this gorgeous all-alloy, Six-pack-equipped Mopar monster being built by Con Sagiaris at Pro Race Engines fits the bill perfectly.

That droolworthy aluminium World-brand block features a raised cam tunnel and is filled with the best of the best, including a 4.5-inch-stroke Eagle steel crank, 7.1inch Eagle H-beam rods and custom Ross 4.5-inch-bore pistons to create a deadsquare reciprocating assembly.

A Comp hydraulic-roller cam and Crower roller lifters team with Jet Engineering pushrods and dead-sexy Stage V rocker gear to activate the Manley valves and Comp valve springs nestled in alloy Stage V cylinder heads.

This modern spec of such a revered engine family retains some old-school heritage in the form of a Six-pack carburettor set-up. A central 355cfm Holley two-barrel is employed for light throttle, but when the loud pedal is mashed, Satan is summoned via two vacuum-operated 500cfm two-barrels mounted fore and aft.

“With a 98-octane-friendly 11.5:1 compression ratio, we’re aiming for over 700hp,” Con explains. “This engine combination must be low-maintenance and have good street manners for its intended application, so that horsepower will be reliable and user-friendly.”

The intended application is an equally gorgeous purple 1970 Dodge Charger owned by Yankee car aficionado Peter Mikelat – we featured his pink Hemi-powered ’72 ’Cuda in SM, Jan ’17. Peter is a bloke who loves to get out and drive his cars, so you’ll be sure to see this perfect pairing at the local Melbourne hotspots s in the not-to-distant future.