Did Chevrolet Ever Make A Hemi Engine?

For many car enthusiasts, the term "Hemi" is synonymous with high-performance vehicles that deliver powerful and muscle-car-like engines. It's often associated with the iconic Dodge logo, as these distinctive engines, named after their hemispherical combustion chamber design, have been a hallmark of Dodge vehicles. It's no surprise that Dodge has been instrumental in popularizing the Hemi engine, given its history with the technology dating back to the 1950s when Chrysler introduced these engines to the mainstream market.

Over the years, while Dodge has been famous for its powerful engines, other car manufacturers, like Jaguar and Aston Martin, have also used the Hemis engine. You might not be aware that Chevrolet even considered developing its own version of a hemi engine back in the late 1960s. In fact, Chevrolet's engineers had plans to put a hemispherical engine under the hood of their own brand, which would have been one of the first of its kind not designed by Chrysler.

The team behind the Hemi engine at Chevy did eventually succeed in developing their own version, creating the Hemi 302 in large part for use in the Trans Am made for the Trans Am racing program. In terms of performance, the engines were quite impressive, punching well above their weight so to speak. However, the Hemi never went into mass production by Chevy, which means that very few of these engines are still in existence today.

A third Hemi 302 Z/28, one of only two known to exist from an unknown year, was rumored to have resided in the collection of Bob Marvin, a vintage car enthusiast based in Minnesota, and be on display at his museum, The Shed.

Due to their rarity, these vehicles and their engines are truly priceless treasure for vintage car collectors.

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