Legendary Motor Matchup #1
Every Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting March 3, 2020, we will present one head-to-head challenge. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to cast your vote on each matchup. The results will tally on the Top 10 Legendary Motors page every week.
VOTING CLOSED
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
426 Hemi
Few words in the automotive world are more instantly recognizable than “Hemi,” named after the first Chrysler engines with hemispherically shaped combustion chambers dating all the way back to 1951.
When the mighty 426 Hemi was introduced in 1964, it was strictly a racing engine. On February 23 of that year, four Hemi-powered Mopars swept the Daytona 500, finishing 1-2-3-4. It caught the racing world by surprise and prompted NASCAR to impose stricter production rules on Chrysler.
The slightly“detuned street 426 Hemi offered 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 ft-lbs of torque at 4,000 RPM. The street Hemi version actual dynamometer testing showed that it produced 433.5 hp and 472 ft-lbs of torque in purely stock form, even though Chrysler’s sales literature published a gross 425 hp. Some say Chrysler did this for policies or for insurance reasons.
Hemi-powered Dodge and Plymouth cars produced in the model years of 1965 through 1971 have all become collector’s cars. From its original stock car roots to its eventual domination of the world of drag racing, the 426 Hemi has left an enduring stamp on automotive history. It was the critical ingredient in making legendary Mopars such as ‘68 Roadrunners, Super Bees, and ‘70 Challenger TAs, Cudas, and Super Birds to name a few.
454 LS6
Chevrolet had introduced its popular small block V8 in 1955 but needed something “more substantial” to power its medium-duty trucks and the heavier cars that were on the drawing board. The first version of the "Big Block" V8 Chevrolet engine, known as the W-series, was introduced in 1958. Chevrolet designed this engine for use in passenger cars and light trucks.
When General Motors lifted the 400-cubic-inch ceiling on engines for its intermediate cars, the company went all-in by bumping its 427 engine up to 454 cubic inches.
There were a few versions of the 454, but the most powerful offered to the general public was the 450-hp LS6 version. It featured an 800 CFM Holley bolted to an aluminum intake, and utilized a solid lifter cam for a 6,500 redline.
One of the most legendary engines in muscle-car history was the Chevy 454 Big-Block. In its debut year of 1970, the Chevelle 454 LS6 vied for the king of the performance mountain rated at 450 hp, 500 ft-lbs of torque, 13.7 sec quarter mile, and became the most potent muscle machine of the era and one of the most desirable muscle cars of all time.
Today, some of the most wanted custom rods, crazy powered muscle cars, and winning race machines are powered with a version of the Chevrolet Big Block LS crate engine in the process, continuing to produce new legends well into the 21st century.