The late ’60s were a revolutionary period in racecar design. Advances in aerodynamic research were creating a fiercely fast, new breed of racecar. From Can-Am to Formula One, cars were sleeker, quicker and sprouting inverted airfoils or “wings” as a means of harnessing the power of the rushing wind to improve handling and increase cornering speeds. So pervasive was this new wing technology that by 1969 it had even made its way into America’s last bastion of low-technology “showroom-stock” racing, NASCAR. Of the many NASCAR stock cars to come from this “Aero” period, the Dodge Charger Daytona and its twin sister the Plymouth Superbird were two of the most striking.
The heart of Chrysler’s NASCAR race program throughout the ’60s was the mighty 426-cu.in. Hemi-engine (so named for its hemispherically shaped combustion chambers). This big-block powerhouse gulped air through a single 4-barrel Holley carburetor and belched exhaust out of 3”-diameter stainless headers. With as much as 650 horsepower on tap, the venerable Hemi-engine saw competitive service in the NASCAR ranks from 1964 through the early ’70s.
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