The Chrysler 426 cubic inch "Hemi" V8 engine is perhaps the most famous to ever come out of Detroit. Chrysler used its previous experience with the hemispherical head engines of the 1950s to produce the legendary 426 Hemi, basing it on their 'RB' series big block "wedge" engines (so named because of the wedge shape of the combustion chambers).

The 426 "Street" hemi was a mildly de-tuned version of the race engine Chrysler used and made available for racing, both drag and track racing. This engine helped Chrysler dominate both types, and the Street Hemi followed suit, earning a fearsome reputation among the amateur and 'unofficial' racers on local strips and many streets around the nation.

Vehicles that came with factory Hemi engines are today among the most valuable of the 1960's and '70s muscle cars, due to their relative scarcity; the Hemi was an expensive option, and many of the cars were sold to folks who used them for the purpose you would expect, racing, and have been lost over the decades.

'Has it got a Hemi in it?'

If you are lucky...