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Crate engines seem like they would be a good entry point for people to get into modding their cars. These are engines shipped in wooden crates — hence the name — that are made to be ready to fit right underneath the hood of your car, but of course, there are a lot of things you need to know about crate engines before you go on to purchase one. These are typically engines for people looking for serious power and are used quite often in racing situations, as not every crate engine you can buy will be street legal.

There are plenty of crate engines that are able to generate more than 500 horsepower. If you are a real speed demon, a more limited selection of crate engines can be found pushing that output to over 1,000 horsepower. Then there is an incredibly select group of crate engines that truly pushes things to the max, producing at least 2,000 horsepower.

The place you are going to want to look for these incredibly powerful crate engines is Nelson Racing Engines (NRE). As the name suggests, it is a company that focuses all of its time and resources on creating engines to satisfy those needing some impressive power for their car. Among its dozens of offerings, NRE has three crate engines that manage to either reach or cross that 2,000-horsepower barrier, with some engines boasting a maximum output of 2,500 horsepower. Let’s go through these three engines to see if any of them are right for your needs.

Twin-Turbo Alien LS 427 Warrior engine

One of the most popular engine swaps that gearheads like to do is an LS engine swap. These V8 engines built by General Motors have a long history of consistently delivering power and durability to many drivers over the years. Well, Nelson Racing Engines has a number of LS engines that it has worked on to deliver power that GM did not even think was possible when they were originally built. Only one of these LS engines from NRE can generate 2,000 horsepower, though, and that would be the Twin-Turbo Alien LS 427 Warrior engine.

NRE designs most of its LS engines for the street, and these LS engines top out at 1,800 horsepower with the Hot Rod series version of this 427-CI engine. The 2,000-horsepower Warrior version is made primarily for racing, though you can drive it on the street if you really want to. However, NRE warns against doing so because of its reduced valvetrain durability.

The engine block is a Dart LS Next Pro that pairs with a Magnum crankshaft from Callies, and it features cylinder heads and a valve-train designed by Nelson Racing Engines itself. You can expect the engine’s maximum horsepower at 7,000 rpm. NRE also offers a host of customizations and options, ranging from electronic boost control to something it calls the “Darth Vader Package.” At its most basic, you’re looking at a starting price of $46,999 for the NRE LS engine.

Twin-Turbo Alien 572 engine

The next engine on this list actually encompasses two different engines, but they are built on the same framework. Nelson Racing Engines produces the Twin-Turbo Alien 572 engine, which is derived from the 572-CI big-block engine produced by Chevrolet. Much like the previously mentioned LS 427 engine, the 572 Alien comes in two different configurations: the Hot Rod series and the Warrior series. Unlike that previous engine, though, both of these models can make at least 2,000 horsepower.

The less powerful of the two is the Hot Rod version, which tops out at 2,000 horsepower at 6,200 rpm. Pair that with 1,700 lb-ft of torque, and you are looking at one incredibly impressive motor. Then there is the Warrior version, which increases the output to a whopping 2,500 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 1,900 lb-ft of torque. The differences between the two versions of the 572 are minor, but they result in the 500-horsepower increase for the Warrior.

The Warrior features custom pistons with a compression ratio of 9.8:1. Meanwhile, the Hot Rod’s only have a 9:1 ratio, though they are made out of the same material. The two also utilize different cylinder heads, with the Warrior having Brodix 380 #3 Extra heads and the Hot Rod having Dart 355 CNC aluminum heads. Both are twin-turbo engines, but the Hot Rod uses dual ball-bearing turbochargers. The Warrior has 88-mm mirror image units built by NRE. The Hot Rod series 572 starts at $45,000, while the Warrior will cost you at least $54,000.

Twin-Turbo Mopar HEMI 572 engine

For the final crate engine on this list, we look at another engine from Nelson Racing Engines that has the ability to reach a maximum output of 2,500 horsepower, though it oddly features the lower rating of 2,000 horsepower printed on its side. This would be NRE’s Twin-Turbo Mopar HEMI 572 engine, which is derived from the HEMI crate engine used by Chrysler and other Stellantis-owned brands, and is large enough to earn the nickname of “The Elephant.” This has the same displacement size as the 572 Alien engine mentioned above, but it is built with a hemispherical combustion chamber, as all HEMIs are.

NRE’s Mopar 572 engine can generate up to 2,500 horsepower and 1,972 lb-ft of torque because it shares the same pistons as the Warrior version of the 572 Alien, where they have a 9.8:1 compression ratio, and the 88-mm mirror image turbochargers that NRE builds. Combine those with the engine’s displacement, and you get the most powerful crate engine you can put into a car from Nelson Racing Engines. Unlike the previous models on this list, there is only one Twin-Turbo Mopar HEMI 572 engine, and it has a staggering starting price of $74,000. That doesn’t account for any of the 22 customization and upgrade options you can make to the engine as well, with each one costing between $340 and $4,000. To get the most powerful engine NRE builds, your wallet is certainly going to take quite a hit.