Introduction

A New Era of Performance

The first-generation Hemi V-8 of the 1950s and the 426 Hemi of the 1960s built by Chrysler Corporation are among the most significant automotive engine designs of the twentieth century. They broke new ground in terms of performance for their day.

The performance era might have taken longer to arrive had not the Chrysler FirePower, Dodge Red Ram and DeSoto FireDome V-8s made their ap-pearance. It has been said that these Hemi-head engines launched the horse-power wars by forcing General Motors and Ford to match their performance. While output was initially modest compared to what came later, the real proof of the first-generation Chrysler Hemi's performance potential was achieved with its tire test car.

This car, a Kurtis Kraft rear-engine design with a modified 331 ci FirePower V-8, put out roughly 400 hp and developed a top speed of over 180 mph. Its performance surpassed that of the Indy cars themselves. It was so fast, the rule-book was rewritten before Chrysler could enter one in the Indianapolis 500.

Enthusiasts could still experience that feeling of power with the advent of the Chrysler 300 in 1955. During the 1930s, the mighty Duesenberg J and SJ cars were the fastest on the road; lesser cars had no choice but to get out of the way. The Depression was the death knell of the Duesenberg and other performance marques, and it wasn't until the Chrysler 300 appeared that auto enthusiasts once again witnessed a similar quantum leap in automobile engine performance.

With its 300 hp 331 ci FirePower Hemi-head V-8, nothing could touch a Chrysler 300 in terms of acceleration or top speed. More than a few men thought of the ways to scrape together the money—somehow—to buy that gleaming red Chrysler 300 they stared longingly at through the showroom window. When-ever one was parked on the street, it always drew a crowd.

Suddenly, Chrysler was a name to be reckoned with in stock-car racing. Chrysler 300s were the cars to beat, and they truly were stock cars in those days. The racing success only lent more prestige to the 300s on the Chrysler show-room floors across America.

The recession of 1957 had a stunning effect on car sales. Compared to 1956, sales of DeSotos plunged fifty-four percent and Dodge sales were off forty-seven percent; the story was pretty much the same for every manufacturer. Chrysler had been working on a new, more economical Wedge-head engine family to replace its Hemi V-8s and the recession added impetus. Quietly, the Hemis disappeared from the Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler line of cars.

The engines, however, were discovered by hot rodders. The 392 Chrysler FirePower was the Hemi of choice, and the intercorporate Dodge Ramchargers were the first to capitalize on the Hemi's power on the quarter-mile strip. These engines found their way into boats as well. Keith Black made a name for himself modifying these engines for racing boats off the coast of California before moving on to Hemi-powered cars.
In the early sixties, Chrysler had shown it could truly build high-performance engines for the quarter-mile strip with its Max Wedge 413 and 426 V-8s. Stock-car racing was another matter, as the Wedge-head engines had a more difficult time. A corporate decision was made to design and build a new racing engine that would reign supreme on both the track and the strip. That engine would become the 426 Hemi V-8.

This new Hemi V-8 borrowed the lessons learned from the first-generation Hemi and with incredible speed, Chrysler unveiled its new engine at the 1964 Daytona 500 with spectacular results. During the sixties. Ford and GM waged war with Hemi-powered Dodges and Plymouths.

It can honestly be said the 426 Hemi drag engine experienced even greater success than its circle-track counterpart. Regardless of class, the 426 Hemi was king—from Super Stock to Top Fuel Eliminator. The inherent strength and extraordinary breathing ability of the 426 Hemi enabled the horsepower levels to be dialed in. How fast you wanted to go was limited only by money, and only the 426 Hemi was capable of delivering the horsepower levels to drop elapsed times from ten seconds to nine, then eight, seven, finally into the sixes, and even lower. As ETs (elapsed times) went down, horsepower shot up, with the most powerful Hemis now generating close to 4000 hp!

While the circle-track Hemis raced for less than a decade, the Chrysler Hemi has continued to prosper on the quarter-mile ever since its inception. The drag-racing Hemis found their way into wild factory cars like the altered-wheelbase AF/X cars of 1965 and the Super Stock Darts and Barracudas of 1968. Once Chrysler ceased production of the drag Hemi, drag racers continued to use the 426 Hemi with such enthusiasm, engine builders came forward to fill the void.

The 426 street Hemi, of course, was one of the most respected engines of the muscle-car era. Having only the most rudimentary changes necessary to make it streetable, the 426 street Hemi carried with it a level of prestige no other engine could match. Many of these Hemi-powered cars spent much of their time at the strip, and that was the idea!

The collectibility of these 426 Hemi-powered Dodges and Plymouths was dormant for more than a decade after the street Hemi ceased production with the 1971 model year. For performance enthusiasts, the latter seventies were depressing. It was obvious that high-output engines from the car manufacturers were gone forever. These enthusiasts began looking around for used muscle cars, and the most desirable among them had the 426 Hemi. In the early eighties, it was still possible to pick up a 426 street Hemi Mopar for $10,000 or so. Prices began rising rapidly in the late eighties. These Hemi-powered Mopars were destined to become the most collectible—and expensive—cars from the supercar era. Some of the rarer examples are offered for sale in excess of $100,000.

With the continuing popularity of the 426 Hemi at the drag strip, many of the old iron-block Hemis were finally wearing out with replacements hard to find. In 1990, Mopar Performance—the performance parts division of Chrysler Corporation formerly known as Direct Connection—announced plans to re-tool a new 426 Hemi iron block and cylinder heads to fill the needs of after-market enthusiasts.