6 Cars That Missed the Hemi They Deserved – Jalopnik

It feels like the third-generation Chrysler Hemi engine has been in production since the beginning of time. It is as much a part of the world around us as the air we breathe or the internet on which we argue. In reality, however, the Hemi was introduced to production in 2003, just 23 years ago. While that’s definitely a lifetime in terms of engine production years, it’s nothing when you consider the ubiquity of the engine.

There are millions of these engines on the market, and given the state of Stellantis’ electrification plans, millions more will likely be made in the future. This old-school eight-cylinder-in-a-vee engine has powered pretty much everything under the Chrysler sun; from pickup trucks and super SUVs to muscle cars and normie dad wagons. But what strikes us here at Jalopnik are the countless vehicles that theoretically could have had a Hemi, but ended up driving by without one.

The Hemi has made significant progress over the past twenty years. Right now you can buy a used 5.7-liter version of the Hemi, which delivered a sedate and stable 345 horsepower, for practically pennies. If you have enough money to spare, you can find any number of supercharged 6.2-liter “Hellcat” versions of the engine making over 700 ponies, or you can even call Mopar Performance and get a crate of “Hellephant” delivered to your door, ready to make four figures of horsepower in whatever project car you choose to use it in. While not exactly an efficient powertrain, the Hemi has proven to be a reliable and out-of-the-box way to generate just about any level of horsepower you can afford. For those reasons, a variety of vehicles could have benefited from getting Hemi’d. Here are six of our favorites.

With 302 hp and 329 lb-ft of torque at the end of its run, the PowerTech was sufficient for the Dakota’s duties. It was a pretty decent engine for the time, being compact, lightweight and quite efficient for its power. However, the bigger and louder Hemi got its own advertising campaign at the time, and if it wasn’t Hemi powered, consumers didn’t want it. Couple that with high unit production costs, and the PowerTech V8 died after just a few years of use. If the Dakota had been designed around the larger engine, it might still be around.

While the infighting between Chrysler and Mercedes would likely have made a Hemi Crossfire impossible, not to mention the small size of the vehicle and its engine compartment, I believe it could have been a serious competitor if it had been allowed to exist. Priced to compete with Corvettes on this side of the Atlantic and BMW M3s on the other side of the pond, a real V8 could have really helped this little machine become successful. Especially if it could have been combined with a manual gearbox.

Still a few years after the merger of equals with Chrysler, the Fiat Group might have been desperate enough to team up with a then equally desperate Chrysler, born Daimler, for an interesting development. Chrysler, in turn, had already developed a front-wheel drive version of the Hemi engine and was looking for a reason to produce it. As it stands now, the only vehicle to ever get a front-wheel drive Hemi V8 was the 2006 Dodge Rampage concept at the Chicago Auto Show. Give V8 supremacy to Lancia, and maybe it will regain some of the sales it lost in the doldrums of the ’80s.

It also wouldn’t be the first time Lancia has borrowed a jaw-dropping V8 for one of its sedate front-wheel drive luxury sedans.

With the right upgrades and modifications, a Hemi V8 could easily have made at least as much power as the 6.4-liter V10 in naturally aspirated form, and would have positively decimated the V10 once it was equipped with a supercharger. If Dodge and SRT had kept the Viper in production and found a way to fit the 1,000-horsepower, seven-liter Hellephant engine under the hood, there really could be a title fight against Corvette’s new ZR1 for top dog.

Here we have another time-displaced, Fiat-Chrysler, headcannon creation; Imagine this beautiful bodywork paired with the neck-breaking torque and manic supercharger whine of a Hellcat engine. It could have been a combination that could have created one of the greatest sports cars of all time. This is one of those missed opportunities in history, something that certainly could have been, but wasn’t.

I’d say Alfa could have really solidified its place in the US with a totally ridiculous Hemi-powered 4C sports car, too, but you guys aren’t ready for that conversation yet.

The 458 Italia is largely defined by its high-revving and sonorous 4.5-liter V8 with 562 hp. This mid-engine Ferrari builds its speed in a delicate and sleek way, completely at odds with the way a supercharged Hemi does, but you can’t say you don’t want to know what a mid-engine Hellcat feels like, even just out of curiosity.

Chrysler could have reshaped this chassis with its own design, used its own engine, and made the world completely forget about the then-dormant Ford GT supercar. Oh, what that could have been!