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The original 392 HEMI
engine was introduced in the new 1957 model year Chrysler and
Imperial products. It replaced the 354 cubic-inch version of the
original HEMI launched in 1951.Compared with the 354 engine, the 392
was completely revised and improved, with larger valves and ports, a
beefier block and crankshaft and improved bearings. In short, the
392 HEMI, often affectionately referred to simply as the “92,” was
perfect for drag racing.
More than a few racers at that time immediately enhanced the
performance of the newest HEMI by bolting on six or eight
carburetors, installing new camshafts, etc., and went racing.
Racing legend Don ‘Big Daddy” Garlits ran a 392 in his infamous
Swamp Rat I dragster at record speeds of faster than 180 mph on
nitro with no supercharger. Garlits also used a 392 HEMI to
officially break the 200-mph barrier when his Swamp Rat went 201.34
mph at Atco, N.J., in 1964.
But the 392’s success went beyond the drag strip. It also set
records at the Bonneville Salt Flats and in boat racing. Drag racing
boats were no different than their land-based counterparts in the
use of the 392. Famous HEMI engine builder Keith Black was better
known on the water than on the land, until he teamed up with Tommy
Greer and hired Don “The Snake” Prudhomme to dominate Top Fuel in
California in the early 1960s using a 392 HEMI.
After 1958, the 392 HEMI was gone as a production engine, but it
still remains a legend. Collectors are now preserving many historic
392-powered race cars and hot rods and proudly displaying them on
show car circuits.
In 2007, Mopar – Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and
customer-care brand – helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
original 392 by launching a modern, crate engine version of the 392
HEMI. |
