When it comes to making horsepower, there are literally hundreds of engine building companies to choose from. While most of these companies can build something close to your demands, there is one company sticks out above the rest. Nelson Racing Engines has a reputation for building some of the most powerful engines on the planet.

Started in 1995 by owner Tom Nelson, NRE has now become synonymous with both extremely high horsepower builds and ridiculously good looks. Tom’s entire concept behind NRE is to build motors that not only look as good as they perform, but to perform reliably every time you turn the key. According to Tom “I eat, sleep, and breathe my profession and want to provide my customers with the best that I can offer. There is nothing more satisfying than getting to know my customer and setting out to achieve his or her goals. It’s what gets me up in the morning.”

To help NRE achieve their goals on each build, the shop where Nelson Racing Engines operates is loaded to the gills with high tech machinery. Almost every machine you can imagine is located there, and to top it off, their engine dyno is one of the best in the world. So what happens when you take a nicely built 1970 Chevelle SS with a stock 502 to NRE and ask them to give it a little power? The end result is sick power on a budget! The folks at NRE determined on this build that sometimes less is more. They took the 502, added a decent hydraulic roller cam, and installed their Alien intake manifold.

After a tune on the dyno for the motor, the end result came out to a respectable 610 horsepower. This is a gain of over 100 horsepower from the stock crate motor! While this might sound like a lot for the average person; for NRE that’s small numbers. However, this build was completed on a small budget and NRE did everything they could to squeeze out every single horsepower available for the price. So if you’re looking for performance, looks, drivability on pump gas, AND a low price; make sure you talk to the guys at Nelson Racing Engines.