Chrysler’s HEMI is not one engine carried forward unchanged. It is a sequence of V8 families: the FirePower engines introduced for 1951-model-year cars, the racing 426 and its street version, and the modern HEMI family that spread across trucks, cars and SUVs. The name refers to a hemispherical-shaped combustion chamber, but the engines differ in era, displacement, application and output.
What is a Chrysler HEMI engine?
HEMI is shorthand for a hemispherical combustion-chamber design. Chrysler used the name for several generations of V8 engines, not a single continuous design. The familiar Chrysler story begins with the FirePower V8, moves through the race-developed 426, and reaches the modern family of 5.7-, 6.1-, 6.2- and 6.4-liter engines.
Although the title centers on Chrysler, HEMI engines also appeared in vehicles from Dodge, DeSoto, Imperial and, in the modern era, Ram. A specific output belongs to a particular engine and vehicle application; it should not be treated as a rating for every engine with the same displacement.
When did Chrysler first make the HEMI?
FirePower: introduced for 1951 model-year cars
Chrysler introduced its hemispherical-chamber V8 under the FirePower name in 1950 for 1951-model-year vehicles. Stellantis’ 2019 history gives the Chrysler FirePower a rating of 180 hp. Related first-generation HEMI engines were also used by Dodge, DeSoto and Imperial. Stellantis dates the first generation’s final year to 1958. Stellantis’ HEMI history
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FirePower established the HEMI as a family of engines across Chrysler’s corporate brands, rather than a powerplant exclusive to Chrysler-badged cars.
How did the 426 HEMI move from the track to the street?
The 426 Race HEMI debuted in 1964
The 426 Race HEMI arrived in 1964, built for competition. Stellantis reports that Richard Petty won that year’s Daytona 500 and that the top three finishers used 426 Race HEMIs. NHRA’s account says the project was assigned in December 1962, with readiness targeted ahead of the 1964 Winternationals and Daytona 500. It describes Drag, Track and Street derivatives developed from 1964 through 1966. NHRA’s 426 HEMI retrospective
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A street version followed in 1966
NASCAR’s 1965 rule required a minimum production level for a street car. Stellantis says a street 426 followed in 1966, allowing the engine to return to NASCAR competition. That link between race development and production cars is central to the 426’s place in HEMI history: it began as a competition engine, then gained a street counterpart in response to the rules governing eligibility.
The 426’s reputation should not obscure the difference between its race and street forms. Nor should its era-specific ratings be compared directly with modern output figures without accounting for the application and rating basis.
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What is the difference between the 426 HEMI and the modern HEMI?
The 426 is associated with the 1960s race program and its street derivative. The modern HEMI family began decades later and includes several displacements and applications, from truck and passenger-car engines to supercharged high-output versions.
| Engine or family | Period and application | Output example |
|---|---|---|
| FirePower | Introduced for 1951-model-year Chrysler vehicles; first-generation HEMI continued through 1958 | 180 hp for the 1951-model-year Chrysler FirePower, as reported by Stellantis in 2019 |
| 426 Race HEMI | Race debut in 1964; street version followed for 1966-model-year cars | No output figure is established in the cited timeline for a specific vehicle and rating basis |
| Modern 5.7-liter HEMI | Debuted in Ram in 2003 | 345 hp at its 2003 Ram debut, as reported by Stellantis in 2019 |
| Modern supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI | High-output applications include the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon | 840 hp for the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, as reported by Stellantis in 2019 |
Stellantis’ 2019 overview identifies modern Gen III displacements as 5.7, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.4 liters (345, 370, 376 and 392 cubic inches, respectively). These are family identifiers, not fixed power ratings: output varies by vehicle, model year and engine configuration. The same overview gives the supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI in the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon as 840 hp, and the Hellephant 426 Supercharged Crate HEMI as 1,000 hp. Those figures describe named applications, not a general rating for all 6.2-liter or 426 engines. Stellantis’ HEMI history
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These figures span different eras and uses, including a 1951-model-year engine, a 2003 Ram, a 2018 performance car and a crate engine. They are not a like-for-like comparison of output: the source does not establish a shared rating basis across them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When did the HEMI return to the Chrysler 300?
Chrysler says the HEMI returned to its brand with the 2005 Chrysler 300, after a 50-year gap. The manufacturer’s page gives the 2005 300’s 5.7-liter HEMI rating as 340 hp. The 300 continued to offer HEMI options in later model years, including two distinct 2023 configurations: Chrysler estimates 372 hp at 5,200 rpm for the 300S’s 5.7-liter V8 and 485 hp at 6,100 rpm for the 300C’s 6.4-liter HEMI. These are manufacturer estimates for those specific 2023 models. Chrysler states that the 300 was discontinued after the 2023 model year. Chrysler 300 model information
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How did the modern HEMI reach trucks and SUVs?
The modern family’s 5.7-liter engine debuted in a Ram truck in 2003, with Stellantis reporting 345 hp at launch. Later HEMIs extended into passenger cars and SUVs, with both naturally aspirated and supercharged applications. The available chronology identifies the major displacements and examples but does not provide a complete engineering timeline for every redesign or vehicle fitment.
A recent example is the Dodge Durango. In a December 19, 2024 announcement, Stellantis said production would continue into calendar year 2025 for the 5.7-liter Durango R/T, rated at 360 hp and 390 lb-ft, and the supercharged 6.2-liter Durango SRT Hellcat, rated at 710 hp and 645 lb-ft. The announcement describes planned 2025 production; it does not establish production or availability in 2026. Stellantis’ December 2024 Durango announcement
Is Chrysler still making HEMI engines?
The latest official production information covered here is a December 2024 announcement that HEMI-powered Durango production would continue into calendar year 2025. It does not confirm whether HEMI production continued or which vehicles were available in 2026. The Chrysler 300, meanwhile, ended with the 2023 model year. For present-day production or vehicle availability, consult current manufacturer information rather than extrapolating from those dated announcements.
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