Where the hemi could be today

[MCaesar]

When you read up on the crazy experiments Chrysler did with the hemi in the early 60s one can only imagine how powerful they would be if they had of continued:

A 426 dual-overhead cam Hemi was actually produced - two of them, in fact, and both were made in 1964. The DOHC Hemis were made to counter Ford's response to the 1964 426 Hemi, the 427 SOHC, but when NASCAR ruled against Ford's engine, there was no need for the overhead-cam Hemi.

Neither of the DOHC Hemis were ever placed in a car; one was destroyed, the other moved to the Kansas City area. (source: Muscle Car Review. Thanks, Stéphanie Dumas.)

An article by Tom Shaw in Mopar Muscle went into considerably more detail. The DOHC Hemi was project A-925, and it would need to be much more powerful than Ford's SOHC 427, but still rugged enough for racing - and able to conform to NASCAR's rules. Two possibilities were seriously considered, according to Shaw - one using two cams positioned between the heads, in the "valley;" four valves on each cylinder were operated by lifters, pushrods, and lifters. This expensive setup was considered to be a contingency plan and was never actually created. Nearly as ambitious was an engine with aluminum heads, dual overhead cams, and, again, four valves per cylinder, with pent-roof chambers. (Chrysler had been working with four valve per cylinder engines for a never-completed Indy run in 1963.)

The dual-plane intake manifold had eight runners per side (Chrysler was heavily into efficient and innovative intakes) and made of magnesium - but designed for a single four-barrel carburetor, as required by NASCAR.

The cams were driven by a cog belt, using external cog wheels at the front of the heads. Because the cams were directly above the valves, valvetrain mass was low, so the engine could rev high - a 7,000 rpm redline was specified, high for the era.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/hemi/hemi.html

[MCaesar]

THE DEATH OF GM:

GM pulls plug on '08 line of cars

Product czar Bob Lutz wants to speed new trucks, SUVs to market faster.

By Ed Garsten / The Detroit News

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DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. has killed plans for a new line of rear-wheel drive passenger cars slated to reach North American showrooms in 2008, in large part to free up resources to bring its next generation of large pickups and sport utility vehicles to market quicker.

The news comes after GM reassured investors, suppliers and Wall Street analysts last week that future car and truck programs would remain on schedule despite a new cost-cutting effort.

The automaker is under severe pressure to streamline after announcing last week its 2005 earnings would fall as much as 80 percent below previous estimates.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosins...A01-123402.htm

[Cabo Mag]

Another dumb move by GM. They haven't yet figured out that SUV's are dead, killed by the high gas prices, and nicer, more practical cars (Magnum).....

[MCaesar]

Another dumb move by GM. They haven't yet figured out that SUV's are dead, killed by the high gas prices, and nicer, more practical cars (Magnum).....

Yup, GM is always two steps behind

good job killing the rear drive Impala SS just when it took off

ditto the Fiero GT