We pulled this archive photo...
We pulled this archive photo sent by one of our readers of an ultra-rare ’69 Hemi Road Runner convertible in front of the barn where it was found. Unfortunately, many Hemi cars were not lucky enough to survive intact.
Of all the subjects we cover here at Mopar Muscle, the Hidden Treasures we see are one of the highlights of our job. We know our readers love to hear about the Mopars that are still out there being found, and these finds encourage all of us to not give up on the search for our first, or another, cool car to build. And while we all dream of finding a low-mileage Hemi, anything tucked away somewhere with an owner eager to sell, the fact is many of these cars succumbed to the dreaded crusher or parts yard back in the day, leaving comparatively few Hemi cars left to find and build.
When the second-generation Hemi engine was first placed in passenger vehicles, these cars were meant for hard-core racers and factory sponsored teams to take to the track and show off. As the street Hemi became available, and as more of these cars saw regular street use in the late ’60s through early ’70s, they were known to be two things by most drivers—cantankerous and fast. Unfortunately, neither of these bode well for a Hemi car’s longevity, as being fast often meant getting wrecked by an inexperienced street driver or possibly the same fate at the racetrack.
Chrysler’s 426 Hemi engine...
Chrysler’s 426 Hemi engine was one of the most feared powerplants both on the street and at the racetrack.
As for being cantankerous, the Hemi was easy to flood with dual carburetors, and an inexperienced mechanic could really mess one up through improper valve lash, carburetor, and timing adjustments. Many of these cars were traded in by frustrated owners, resold several times, and during the late ’70s and early ’80s could be seen on the back row of used car lots, for sale cheap if you were willing to take a chance with the engine. We know of one ’68 Hemi Super Bee owner in the Midwest town where this author grew up, who installed a 383 in his car and discarded the 426 Hemi simply to make the car more drivable.
While most initial owners of Hemi cars knew they had something special, most also eventually needed a car that was more economical, or reliable, or simply wanted something newer, so the Hemi car got sold or traded. Like most cars, after years of street or track use they were simply worn out and many ended up sitting in barns, warehouses, or backyards. How many are left? We don’t know, but we encourage our readers to send us their stories about finding one of these rare cars. One thing we do know is that anyone who’s driven or ridden in a finely tuned Hemi car will tell you, nothing pulls like a Hemi. mm
Most of these engines, and...
Most of these engines, and the cars they were in, got rode hard and put away wet as they say in horse racing. How many Hemi cars are still waiting to be found?
If you’re reading this magazine...
If you’re reading this magazine you likely can’t imagine junking a cool Mopar from the muscle car era, but for most people these cars were simply transportation and cast aside for something new when they wore out.
Hemi cars were raced, some...
Hemi cars were raced, some famously, such as the Plymouths campaigned by the team of Ronny Sox and Buddy Martin. Many of these factory sponsored race cars have been accounted for, and some verified to be wrecked or parted out, but there must still be one or two out there...
Hemi engines were driven hard,...
Hemi engines were driven hard, and no doubt succumbed to a variety of failures at the hands of young, testosterone-filled drivers. And if the engine wasn’t blown up, nearly every town has a story of one of these cars being totaled by a driver going way too fast.
We still think there are Hemi...
We still think there are Hemi cars out there to be found, though nobody has submitted one lately for our Hidden Treasures column. Do you know where one of these iconic musclecars is hidden?
We still think there are Hemi...
We still think there are Hemi cars out there to be found, though nobody has submitted one lately for our Hidden Treasures column. Do you know where one of these iconic musclecars is hidden?