 |
Back in 2016, word started spreading that Dodge might drop the V8 from the Challenger and Charger in favor of a twin-turbo V6 — a rumor most Mopar fans, including this outlet, dismissed outright. Years later, the debate turned out to be an early preview of exactly where the industry was headed. Read on to see how a rumor once written off as internet noise ended up getting the last laugh.
Mopar’s Crate HEMI Engine Kits let owners of any 1975-or-earlier Mopar bolt in genuine modern HEMI power — 383 horsepower from the 5.7-liter kit or 485 horsepower from the 6.4-liter version — without chasing down custom wiring or tuning. Each kit ships with an unlocked, pre-calibrated PCM that sidesteps the usual factory security headaches of a late-model engine swap. Debuted on two complete builds at the 2016 SEMA Show, the kits have owners of everything from Dusters to Aspens asking if their own project qualifies. Watch the full rundown of what’s included.
The redesigned 1971 Dodge Charger arrived with all-new fuselage styling and one of the last truly serious muscle-car engine lineups before insurance costs and gas prices closed the era down. Buyers could still order a 440 Magnum, a 440 Six Pack, or the legendary 426 Hemi – though only 63 R/T Chargers left the factory with that Hemi. Here’s the story behind these images and the numbers that made this the end of an era.
Before it ever appeared on screen, “Maximus” was already one of the most ambitious Mopar builds anywhere — a 1968 Dodge Charger built by Tom Nelson of Nelson Racing Engines, discovered by a film crew at the SEMA trade show. Over 2,000 hours of bodywork and roughly 2,000 horsepower later, it closed out Fast & Furious 7 by recreating a scene from the franchise’s original 2001 film.
Two Hemi-badged muscle cars, side by side, and no caption to settle the argument. Whichever specific models these are, that small emblem alone guarantees a debate, the 426 Hemi was rated at 425 horsepower when it reached showrooms in 1966, a figure most enthusiasts still consider conservative. It is proof that in the Mopar world, the badge can matter as much as the car wearing it.
This compilation skips the commentary and specs entirely, letting a lineup of American V8s speak for themselves through pure sound and acceleration. From big-block burnouts to sleeper street cars, it’s a reminder that muscle car culture has always run as much on exhaust note as horsepower figures. No narration, no sponsor pitch — just cars doing what they were built for.
This Chrysler 300C SRT8 looks like an ordinary full-size sedan and hides a stroked 404-cubic-inch Hemi backed by twin 67mm turbochargers. 1320video caught it running at the Texas Streets, an event built around exactly this kind of mismatch between looks and power. Watch to see it hang with — and upset — cars that looked a lot faster on paper.
Seventeen. That is the entire population of one specific 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda configuration, and it is not the one most people would guess. Ask a room full of Mopar fans to name the rarest droptop of that year and the answer comes back Hemi every time, which is correct on price and wrong on this particular question. The 440 Six-Barrel convertible with a heavy-duty four-speed is rarer than its automatic sibling and cost far less than any Hemi ever did. Read on for why so few buyers checked both boxes.
Only about 112 Dodge Chargers left the factory in 1970 with the 426 Hemi under the hood, and restoration shop owner Al Hickey found one hiding in plain sight. Paired with a Hurst pistol-grip four-speed and finished in burnt orange, this R/T carries details serious MOPAR collectors chase for years. Lou Costabile catches up with Hickey and the car at a Midwest MOPAR swap meet. The story behind how it landed in his eighteen-car collection is half the reason to watch.
Chrysler’s third-generation Hemi introduced a two-spark-plug-per-cylinder ignition system and eventually spawned everything from a fuel-saving 5.7-liter truck engine to a 590-horsepower 426-cubic-inch showstopper. Along the way, displacements ranged from 5.7 to 6.4 liters, with technologies like MDS cylinder deactivation and variable crankshaft timing added throughout its run. Read on to find out how one ignition change led to an entire engine family.
Chrysler built roughly 9,137 street Hemi cars between 1966 and 1971, and only a sliver of them left the factory as convertibles. The 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi convertible is widely considered the rarest of the bunch at just two built, with Hagerty pegging a top example near $1.3 million. A numbers-matching 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda convertible brought $3.5 million at Mecum in 2014. Read on for why the drop-tops are so scarce and what separates a real one from a clone.
David Meyer’s 1966 Plymouth Belvedere, built by coachbuilder Troy Trepanier and nicknamed “Northern Bel,” hides a 526-cubic-inch HEMI and twin rear-mounted turbochargers behind period-correct sheet metal. Featured on MotorTrend’s House of Muscle series, the restomod is reported to run 9-second quarter-miles at over 200 mph. Watch to see how a stock-looking ’66 Mopar hides that much firepower.
A list of five supposedly forgotten muscle car V8s, set up in contrast to household names like the 426 Hemi and LS6 454, immediately sparked an argument in the comments from viewers who insist none of these engines were ever actually unknown. Along the way, commenters add their own nominees, including a Corvair sleeper that reportedly humiliated Chevelles and GTOs on the street. Watch to see which engines made the cut, and which ones viewers think got left out.
Some cars are rare because a manufacturer decided to make them rare. The 1971 Challenger R/T with the 426 Hemi is rare because almost nobody would pay for it, and then the option vanished before anyone realized what was ending. Roughly 70 were built that year, all hardtops, all with the shaker hood as standard equipment. Finished in triple black, this is about as intimidating as the configuration gets. Read on to find out what actually killed the elephant motor.
Nick Panaritis rebuilt a 426 Hemi before he had a Challenger to put it in — then found a 1970 T/A instead, a genuinely rare factory homologation car built around a 340/6-barrel, not a Hemi. Commenters cite a possible Canadian-market history of roughly 115 T/As, correct a popular Vanishing Point myth, and mostly land on the same verdict: keep this one original. So does the freshly rebuilt Hemi get left without a home, or is there a smarter compromise hiding in the comments?