In February 1964 at the Daytona 500, Chrysler unleashed a new engine for teams running Dodge and Plymouth cars in NASCAR’s Grand National series. Though the Chrysler-powered racers had previously been uncompetitive on superspeedways, the new 426-cu.in. Hemi V-8 was a game-changer, and the 1964 Daytona 500 saw 426 Hemi-powered cars cross the finish line in first, second and third position, as well as claim two more spots in the top 10. Though few spectators realized it at the time, they witnessed the birth of an engine that would become a performance legend on racetracks, drag strips and back streets across America, and would inspire a year-long celebration of the engine half a century later.
The hemispherical-head engine didn’t originate with Chrysler, and the 426 Hemi was not the brand’s first engine of this design. Hemispherical heads had been in use in European race engines back to the turn of the century, while Chrysler’s first generation hemi-head engine lasted from 1951 through 1958, ultimately dropped in favor of wedge-head V-8s that were comparable in power but lighter, easier and less expensive to build. By 1962, however, Chrysler was looking for a way to gain the upper hand in NASCAR Grand National competition, and a directive came down from new Chrysler president Lynn Townshend after Pontiacs Fords dominated the 1963 Daytona 500: Chrysler would have an engine that would win the 1964 Daytona 500.
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Now to find one of these in a shed would be okay!
