With all the attention that the new 707 HP Challenger Hellcat, it got me wondering. What was the estimated horsepower of some of the most famous Mopar race cars, like the Sox & Martin HEMI cars, the Dick Landy HEMI cars, or even Don "The Snake" Prudhomme's famous Hot Wheels 'Cuda funny car. I just wondered what horsepower they were pumping out back then verses what our street cars are doing now.

I remember in 1970 I was reading an article in Popular Hot Rodding about the new Pro Stock cars and it seems the 427 Chevy and the 426 Hemi's with 2 fours and the tunnel ram intakes were making 650 to 700 HP. They said that once the Hemi cars starting using the tunnel ram intakes over the Superstock crossram they were making even more hp. At that point in 1970 when this came out which was late in the year they said the Hemi's were aproaching 700 hp and the big block 427 Chevy was around 650 hp. The Ford Boss 429 and 427 Cammers were close to 650 hp but Dyno Don was starting to get his Cammer Maverick really run hard as he was most likely up around 680 hp with his 427 Cammer. Wow what great times that was as we all know the Hemi cars dominated the next year and a half and were making about 750 hp at the end of the 71 season and Sox had run 9.50's at the Gatornationals in 1971. Ron

I also read in the Ramchargers book that they said they were making close to 500 hp with the Max Wedge eng in late 63 and when the Hemi first came out in 64 it was making well over 500 hp but at first was no faster on the dragstrip then the Max Wedge cars. They changed the cams in the Hemi's then and then they started running faster then the Max Wedge cars by mid 64 and the Hemi was pushing over 550 hp. Ron