Overview
Since the early years of the internal combustion engine, engineers recognized that the hemispherical head design, which utilized dome-shaped combustion chambers, generated phenomenal horsepower. During World War II, Chrysler developed this extremely powerful engine design for tanks and other military vehicles. After the war the company applied this technology to a 330-cubic-inch V-8 destined for its 1951 production cars. This engine became so dominant on America's racetracks and boulevards that its nickname--Hemi--came to symbolize the ultimate in American performance.
Hemi Muscle Cars tells the story of the magnificent Hemi-powered performance cars and explains why the Hemi has blown away the competition for six decades--and still does so today. More importantly, the book shows how this potent engine became a cultural icon, how it came to define American performance cars.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“There is page after page of terrific photography of restored cars and race cars and the stories of how this infamous engine came to be.” – Mark Maynard, San Diego Union Tribune
“…setting the book apart from others currently on your coffee table is the stunning artwork by photographer David Newhardt. His images enticingly capture the entire vehicle.” – Greg Williams, Calgary Herald
“While Motorbooks has published several Mopar-focused titles, Hemi Muscle Cars, which covers everything from the earliest Hemi cars to the latest Challenger, now ranks as the authoritative volume, a glorious, oversized book filled with spectacular photography.” – Richard Truesdell, Musclecar Enthusiast
“Author David Holmstrom and photographer David Newhardt have assembled a primer on the Hemi.” - Larry Printz, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
“You can all but hear the engine on full-chat as you leaf though its pages. Well laid-out and a perfect coffee-table discussion piece, it is worth every penny.” - Lincolnshire Echo
“The pictures are excellent and are not just of road cars either, there’s some cool hot rods and awesome drag car shots in there as well.” – Custom Car
“This massive coffee table-style book spans the entire history of Chrysler’s most famous engine, from pre-Hemi cars like the Airflow to the Challenger SRT8 on the cover.” - Muscle Car Review
“There is page after page of terrific photography of restored cars and race cars and the stories of how there infamous engine came to be.” – Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune
“It’s easy to underestimate the impact Chrysler’s revolutionary hemispherical-head V8 engine - or Hemi – has had on the world. It’s legendary, and this huge 340-page book does it full justice.” - Auto Express
“If it’s bangs for the bucks you look for in a book, you won’t do better than this.” - Classic and Sports Car
Calgary Herald
. . . setting the book apart from others currently on your coffee table is the stunning artwork by photographer David Newhardt. His images enticingly capture the entire vehicle.—Greg Williams
Danny Musclecar Enthusiast
While Motorbooks has published several Mopar-focused titles, Hemi Muscle Cars, which covers everything from the earliest Hemi cars to the latest Challenger, now ranks as the authoritative volume, a glorious, oversized book filled with spectacular photography.—Richard Truesdell
San Diego Union Tribune
There is page after page of terrific photography of restored cars and race cars and the stories of how this infamous engine came to be.—Mark Maynard