The 426 Street HEMI is the most legendary engine in American muscle car history. Built for one purpose — domination — the HEMI’s hemispherical combustion chambers, massive displacement, and raw horsepower made it the benchmark […]
The 426 Street HEMI is the most legendary engine in American muscle car history. Built for one purpose — domination — the HEMI’s hemispherical combustion chambers, massive displacement, and raw horsepower made it the benchmark for an entire era of performance. In this countdown, we rank the four most legendary HEMI-powered Mopar muscle cars ever built.
#4 — 1968 Plymouth Road Runner HEMI
Plymouth built the Road Runner as the people’s muscle car — stripped down, no-frills, and brutally fast. The 426 HEMI was a $714 option, one of the greatest bargains in automotive history. At 425 horsepower, this big-block Mopar could run the quarter mile in the low 13s right off the showroom floor.
#3 — 1969 Dodge Charger R/T HEMI
The Charger R/T with the 426 HEMI is one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time. Seven liters of hemispherical combustion chamber technology, 425 horsepower, and a fastback body that looked like it was doing 100 mph standing still. The Charger HEMI became a pop culture icon — and it more than deserved the attention.
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#2 — 1970 Plymouth Barracuda HEMI
Only 652 Plymouth Barracudas were built with the 426 HEMI in 1970. The E-body shell was the smallest Mopar platform, which made cramming the massive HEMI under the hood an engineering challenge — and the result absolutely terrifying. The ‘Cuda HEMI is one of the rarest and most valuable American muscle cars ever produced.
#1 — 1970 Plymouth Superbird HEMI
Built for one reason: to dominate NASCAR. The Superbird’s iconic nose cone and towering rear wing were pure aerodynamic engineering, developed to keep the car planted at over 200 mph. Richard Petty drove one to multiple NASCAR victories. The 426 HEMI Superbird is perhaps the most extreme American muscle car ever produced — and the undisputed king of our list.
Watch the full video countdown above and drop your pick in the comments. Which HEMI would you choose?
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