The Largest Hemi Ever Made: Includes Every Generation Mopar
Due to the resurgence of the Hemi Engine and its iconic history, many questions are asked about it. One often asked is, what is the largest Hemi ever made?
The largest Hemi ever made for production cars is the 426 Hemi produced by Chrysler from 1966 to 1971. The race version of the 426 Hemi was also produced for Nascar and the NHRA in 1964.
The biggest 426 Hemi is known as the generation 2. This article will also provide you with the largest Hemi engines ever produced from the generation 1 and generation 3 eras.
The Largest Hemi Ever Made
The 426 Hemi was introduced by Chrysler in 1964 as racing engines. They were produced to compete in race cars for Nascar and the NHRA.
Its cubic inches are 426 with a 4.25″ bore and 3.75″ stroke. That year it was the largest, big block Chrysler, heaviest and had the most horsepower.
Street Hemi and Its Cubic Inch
The street Hemi engine was produced for passenger cars starting in 1966 and ended its production in 1971. The engine was the same block and cubic inches, 426.
Check out more details about it in my article, How to Identify a 426 Hemi.
The Largest Generation 1 Chrysler Hemi Ever Made
The largest generation 1 Hemi was the Chrysler 392 cubic inch engine. It was produced for Chrysler and Imperial cars in 1957 and 1958.
The generation 1 392 Hemi has a 4.00″ bore and 3.906″ stroke.
The 392 Chrysler Hemi was installed in the following Chrysler and Imperial model cars:
- Chrysler New Yorker
- 300C
- 300D
- Imperial Custom
- Crown
- LeBaron
I wrote and article including all the generation 1 engines. Check it out here, Hemi Engines Made Before the 426 Hemi.
The Largest Generation 3 Hemi Engine Made
As of now, the largest generation 3 Hemi for production vehicles is the 6.4L Hemi V8 engine found in cars and Dodge Ram trucks.
The 6.4L engine has 392 cubic inches, equaling the largest generation 1 Hemi engine. The engine has a 4.090″ bore and 3.72″ stroke.
Although the 6.4L is the largest generation 3 it’s not the most powerful. The badge goes to the 6.2L found in the SRT lineup like the Challenger and Charger.
Aftermarket Mopar Engines with More Cubic Inches
Chrysler has produced crate engines for years. They have made Hemi crate engines available for sale exceeding 500 cubic inches. Today, some of their crate engines are a supercharged Hemi and have 426 cubic inches.
A Hemi crate engine has never made it into production vehicles and therefore does not qualify as the largest production engine ever made, even though its cubic inch is greater.
You can read about one of those engines built in my article, Do They Still Make a 426 Hemi? The Hellephant.
If you have any engine questions, a legitimate interest about the article, or privacy policy, you may send us an email found on our contact page.
I learned about Hemi engines built by reading Mopar books, articles, magazines, seminars and watching videos for approximately 37 years.
For a complete breakdown of all 426 Hemi head casting numbers, check out my article, 426 Hemi Head Casting Numbers.
Read Next!
How Many Miles Per Gallon Did a 426 Hemi Get?
Article Resources
- Automotive History Preservation Society: The Automotive History Preservation Society’s Magazine Archive
- Google Books: Chrysler Engines 1922-1998
- Google Books: Hemi
- Wikipedia: Chrysler Hemi engine
