Jeep offering V8s in Australia... but it's BYO car

After going off sale three years ago, Jeep’s most powerful V8s sold in Australia have returned.

Except there’s one major catch, they don’t come with a car.

Mopar, the performance division of Jeep and Dodge, has released the 6.2-litre supercharged and 6.4-litre naturally-aspirated Hemi V8s from its previous-generation Grand Cherokees in Australia.

However, they’ll only be available as crate engines, as the rest of the brand’s local lineup has moved back to four- and six-cylinder powerplants, in addition to going hybrid in some cases.

Now available at Jeep’s Australian dealerships, the 6.4-litre, 361kW/644Nm V8 from the Grand Cherokee SRT is priced from $17,600, while the Trackhawk’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8 – which pushed out 522kW and 868Nm in the SUV – is $31,900.

While there are no limits as to what the engines can be put in – provided they’re properly engineered and approved – Mopar says they’re suited to motorsport and off-road applications.

Both engines include the necessary water pumps, front sump oil pans, intake manifolds with throttle bodies, fuel injectors and coil packs.

You can still buy a new car fitted with the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 in Australia, as it was also installed in the Ram 1500 TRX, but the high-performance pickup is also soon to leave showrooms.