There’s something about the HEMI name that simply and effectively gets across the concept of proper engineering and quality. Maybe this is because they have been such a staple member of the industry and maybe it’s because with every subsequent model released the team behind the HEMI engine manage to raise the bar.
Step back with us for a moment and discover the interesting story that led to the creation of one of the world’s best-recognized combustion engines.
With a bit of a leap we find ourselves in the 1940s, a time when the world was a much more chaotic and conflicted place with wars spreading across the landscapes came an innovative rush that has continued to influence the way we live today.
It was here that the Chrysler Corporation found itself exploring and developing a V-8 that, even today, is regarded as a legendary step towards more effective combustion engine engineering. In a period known as the “horsepower wars” that took off in the 1950s, Chrysler turned a proverbial key and ignited a fierce competition with adversaries General Motors and the Ford Motor Company – continuously betting on the ingenuity within their research and development centres in a feud that continued well into the 1970s.
Now, the notion behind the HEMI, a word abbreviated from the mouthful that is: a hemispherical cylinder head – often also called a hemi-head – which offered an incredibly efficient combustion chamber along with a great surface-to-volume ratio. With minimal loss of heat to the head, Chrysler is recognized for its historic development practice that saw significant changes from the military-use HEMI in favour of a commercial model for use in automobiles.
Feel like you missed a beat there? Well, let’s step back there for a second and mention that, yes, the HEMI that many know and love started off as an experimental hemispherical engine for the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. This inverted V16 went through a number of successful trials and in 1945 research concluded that upgrading the model would not be particularly difficult – that said, the XIV-2220 engine, as it was known, did not go into production.
In a similar vein, a HEMI engine was developed in a joint effort between Chrysler and Continental for use in the M47 Patton tank which was notable thanks to an air-cooled feature somewhat new to the period.
This turned out into a valuable learning experience for the Chrysler Corporation, however, and they were able to redesign the model into a two-valve hemi combustion engine.
The HEMI engine was originally marketed with the name FirePower, a term that continued to be used for years, and in 1950 the first models were released showcasing a displacement of 331 cubic inches (5.4-litres) and offering an impressive 180 bhp. FirePower engines, in this manner, became popular, with every Chrysler division having their own version of the engine with proprietary features and nearly no parts that overlapped.
Chrysler and Imperial, as we’ve pointed to already, called their engine the FirePower, while DeSoto referred to theirs as the FireDome – Dodge called their model the Red Ram, with Plymouth being the exception and the only division that would go on without a hemispherical engine until 1964 in the form of the well-respected 426 model.
The first generation that actually called the HEMI by its modern name and can be identified by their rear-mouthed distributor and spark plugs that line up in a row in the centre of the wide-valve covers.
What we find is a legacy that began with the 331 “FirePower” engine – which continued production from 1951, on the Chrysler New Yorker, Imperial, Saratoga and continued through to the 1955 Chrysler C-300. Interestingly, Chrysler also developed an air raid siren using the same engine, which, some have reported is the loudest sired ever made.
The 331 was followed-up by the 392 – released in 1957, this raised-deck engine was offered on the Chrysler New Yorker, Imperial, 300C, and 300D – along with being used for drag racing through to the 1970s, more than a decade after the production had officially stopped on commercial vehicles.
DeSoto’s “FireDome” engine was available as a 276, 291, 330, 341, and 345 while the Dodge “Red Ram” chain – the 241, 270, 315, and 325 was offered liberally on a number of models throughout the ‘50s.
Then came a long lull in production with a revival in 1964 – the first engine to officially be referred to as the HEMI. This 7.0-litre engine was appropriately called the “Elephant engine” due to its high power and impressive design – as a V8 the 426 cubic inch creation went on to spark a whole new series to follow it – completing its own life cycle in 1971.
A secondary lapse followed the Elephant engine, but in the early 2000s Chrysler once again revived the HEMI – introducing such models as the 5.7-litre for the Dodge 1500, 2500, and 3500 eventually making it available on many other makes such as the Dodge Durango, Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum R/T, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and many more.
Alongside the 5.7-litre, you’ll want to note that there are a number of other modern HEMI engines available including the, briefly, the 6.1-litre and the all-new 6.2-litre Supercharged HEMI Hellcat that offers vehicles such as the Charger and Challenger an insane 707 horsepower.
Finally, in commercial products we have the 6.4-litre HEMI Apache – a truly remarkable engine offered on across many of the Chrysler nameplates. Learn more about the HEMI today at Vernon Dodge!
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