When did the first Hemi come out?

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Automotive
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When did the first Hemi come out?
’m enjoying your recent articles on the Hemi, car models
and the Dick Harrell 427
Nickey, Gibb and Yenko Camaros.
However, I’d like to let everyone
know that those famous 426
Hemi engines came out way before 1965, but in smaller dimensions. My dad had a 1953 Dodge
with a Hemi in it. Do you remember those? — Jim L., email from
Illinois
A: I sure do. Matter of fact, my
brother and I bought a ‘53 Dodge
Hemi for $25 in 1966, but never
did anything with it and sold it
back to the same guy for $20. (Yep
— depreciation.)
The 1953 Dodge was available
with a scaled-down version of the
already introduced Chrysler 331
Hemi V-8. It measured 241 cubic
inches and produced 140 horsepower. The Dodge line called this
engine the “Red Ram” Hemi, and
it was equipped with red valve
covers that had the same script.
In 1953, Dodge dropped its
Wayfarer model and relied on
Meadowbrook and Coronet lines
for the dealers. The car was
restyled from the boxier 1952
Dodge, which debuted as the first
post-war Dodge in 1949. If you
wanted a Hemi, you had to start
with the Coronet Club Coupe,
which listed at just under $2,200.
Of note is no fully automatic
transmission was available in 1953
as Dodge introduced its first one,
called the "Powerflite," in 1954.
As for the first Hemi, it was in-
I
Greg Zyla
The Hemi replaced
the Inline-8, which
developed 135 horses
in the Chrysler line.
troduced in the Chrysler line in
1951 and developed 180 horses
from its 331-inch size. The Hemi
replaced the Inline-8, which developed 135 horses in the Chrysler
line. The Hemis were great motors, and they were also used by
Chrysler in many military applications and in air raid sirens that
were popular in U.S. cities in the
1950s. (YouTube is loaded with
examples of the Hemi 331 air raid
siren in action.)
Of course, I remember the air
raid drills at my grade school in
Ranshaw, Pa., and later Vineland,
N.J. When the air raid sounded,
we had to get under our desk even
if we were having our morning
milk (delivered by the milk company).
As for the 1953 Dodge, it did
not set any sales records. As a
matter of fact, the redesigned car
did poorly as the other manufacturers were building bigger cars,
The 1953 Dodge was a new design and included the line’s first Hemi
engine, a 241-inch red Ram V-8.
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and the ‘53 Dodge was a bit
smaller than the ‘52. Dodge stayed
with the design in 1954, and sales
were even worse. However, with
the introduction of the all-new
1955 Dodges, things started to
turn around for the better.
Greg Zyla writes weekly for
GateHouse Media and welcomes
reader questions on auto
nostalgia at 303 Roosevelt St.,
Sayre, PA 18840 or at
greg@gregzyla.com.