Gecko Green HELLEPHANT-Powered Gladiator Took $242,000 At Barrett-Jackson!

AMW4x4's Awesome 8-Lug 1,000 Horsepower Gladiator...

Robert S. Miller February 2, 2022

A couple of weeks ago, we highlighted a special build that the team at America’s Most Wanted 4×4 (AMW4x4) had built for the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event late last month. The AMW4x4 team is known for their outrageous but refined HEMI-powered Jeep® Wrangler and Gladiator builds, some of which we have featured on MoparInsiders.com. Their most recent build involved a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon in the popular Gecko Green exterior color.

2021 Jeep® Gladiator AMW 1000 in Gecko Green. (AMW4x4).

Starting with a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon as the base, the AMW4x4 team added its “AMW 1000” package to the Gecko Green pickup. The AMW 1000 Package adds the outlandish 7.0-liter (426 cubic-inch) HELLEPHANT HEMI V8 with a 3.0-liter IHI supercharger on top from the Mopar crate engine program. The motor was only produced for a limited run before the pandemic (although, it will return later this year) and puts out a whopping 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb.-ft. of torque at the crank without any modification.

But the AMW 1000 Package is no simple HEMI engine swap. Instead, AMW4x4 fitted the Gladiator with a proven and tough 8-speed TorqueFlite 8HP95 automatic transmission from the high-performance Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The AMW 1000 Package doesn’t stop there, the package includes numerous performance upgrades to ensure that their Gladiator’s are not only fast but bulletproof as well. Those upgrades included in the AMW 1000 Package include…

Supercharger Independent Cooling System w/ Intercooler, High Flow Coolant Pump, Coolant Reservoir, Coolant Supply Lines, and Hardware Kit
Supercharger Thermal Reduction Blower Spacer Plates and Thermal Reduction Block and Blower Blankets
Supercharger SmoothBoost Control Module w/ Boost Adjustability
Heat Reduction Hood: Rubicon Hood Vent Trim Bezels Modified Into Functional Open Louvers
Fuel Pump High Flow Kit w/ Fuel Lines, Fuel Regulator, and Fuel Filter w/ Billet Fuel Filter Housing
Oil Pan Deep Steel Rear Sump Kit w/ Retainer Plate
Exhaust Manifold 3.0-Inch High Flow Kit w/ Heat Shields and Hardware
Exhaust System 3.5-Inch Mandrel Bent 409 Stainless System w/ Federally Compliant Catalytic Converters, Muffler, Resonator, and Titanium Pipe Shield
Alternator Mopar® 240 Amp High Output
Power Steering High Flow Pump w/ Reservoir, Steering Cooler, and Fluid Supply Line Kit
Air Conditioning Compressor w/ Mandrel Bent Line Kit
Engine Oil Filter Relocation w/ Oil Cooler and Fluid Supply Line Kit
High Torque Engine Starter
ZF 8HP95 Automatic Transmission 8-Speed Heavy-Duty Automatic from the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (WK2) w/ Fluid Supply Line Kit, 6061 Billet Heater Delete and 185°C Thermostat
Transfer Case 6061 Billet Hard Coat Anodized (Heavy-Duty) Input Support Housing
Radiator Aluminum Dimpled Tube Two-Channel Short Fin 36mm Core Design
Electric Fan w/ 850-Watt Brushless Motor and High Clearance Free Flowing Shroud
Engine Cradle Kit w/ Clevite®Elastomers Motor Mounts (Noise, Vibration and Harshness Control)
Cold Air Intake w/ 8-Inch Oiled Filter and Water Resistant Sand Sock
Windshield Washer Jug w/ Washer Pump Harness and Washer Fluid Level Sensor
Powertrain Harness Fixture Built and Tested (Tier One Supplier Built)
Engine Control Module (Unlocked GPEC2A) w/ Proprietary Engine Calibration
Transmission Manual Shift (TrueShift) Proprietary Calibration w/ Unlocked (Shift Point Tunable) Transmission Control Module
Security Gateway Bypass Module w/ Steering Wheel and Instrument Panel Controlled Body Control Module Tool
Instrument Panel AMW 200 MPH Speedometer and Tachometer Gauges
OBD2 Diagnostic, Tuning and Calibration Tool w/ Global WiFi Accessibility
Complete Vehicle Serviceability
3-Year Engine Conversion Warranty w/ 1-Year Labor by Approved Licensed Repair Service Centers

For the Barrett-Jackson build, there were also some added additional touches as well.

Dana 60 Front and Dana 80 Rear Axles
AMW LED Light Package
17-Inch Beadlock Wheels & Massive Maxxis Mud-Terrain Tires
Zeon 10-S WARN Winch
Front Steel Bumper w/ Winch Integration
Front Sway Bar Skid Plate
Rocker Guard Package
HEMI-Tuned Long-Arm Suspension Package
Bed-Mounted Tire Carrier w/ Matching Wheel & Tire
Gecko Green-Colored Interior Accents

When all was said and done, the Gecko Green-colored Gladiator AMW 1000 achieved a sale price of $242,000. That seems like a steal for such a custom pickup, considering some of the cars we have been seeing for sale recently.

If a HELLEPHANT-powered Gladiator is out of your reach, the AMW4x4 continues to offer a number of HEMI performance upgrades for the Gladiator and Wrangler ranging from…

6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) HEMI “Apache” V8 with the AMW 505 Package
Supercharged 6.2-liter (376 cubic-inch) HEMI “HELLCAT” V8 with the AMW 707 Package
Supercharged 6.2-liter (376 cubic-inch) HEMI “Demon” V8 with the AMW 840 Package
Supercharged 7.0-liter (426 cubic-inch) HEMI “HELLEPHANT” V8 with the AMW 1000 Package